DESIGN PHILOSOPHY:

SPACE/TIME IDENTITY

 

As social beings, we are constantly trying to balance the need to find our place in the world while still keeping our personality and individuality; to be recognized by the collective while preserving what makes us unique and different. In the same way, a new urban artefact must engage the city in a harmonious relationship—but this dialogue risks becoming a monologue if the artefact does not express its own character.

 

A strong architectural identity is required to give to the inhabitant the awareness of where he stands…

 

An architectural work is an insertion of form which affects existing conditions that embody distinct historical and cultural backgrounds. It can thus be perceived as a singularity in this cultural time-space continuum. This insertion of form becomes relevant only if it participates actively in the continuity by reflecting the cultural and technical attributes of its time, rather than through nostalgic imitation.

 

A clear architectural statement reflecting the present is required to give the inhabitant an awareness of the era in which he lives…

 

Each design evolves out of a specific program, a particular context, and an array of unique constraints and requirements. Prior to any sketches of the project, we scrutinize and synthesize these idiosyncrasies to define a unique tactical approach. We feel that it is our ethical and moral duty to avoid “readymade” solutions. We don’t shape our buildings according to any particular style, which is often merely a repetition of a formal system regardless of what the context calls for. In this sense, we don’t believe in “style”; we prefer to consider the singularity of each project.

 

A strong architectural uniqueness is required to give to the inhabitant an awareness of his own identity…