When we think of architects, and the profession of architecture, most of us imagine folks that design and draw buildings; often that is part of what we do as architects. But what we do most often, and what best describes the function of the profession, is problem solving.

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Problem solving, or solution creation, is what we do most of the time. To be a good solution finder, you must also be a good listener. Listening to the needs first and then the desires of the client is a critical first step. But after listening carefully to the client, based on their knowledge and experience, it becomes the job of the architect at that point, to discover and create solutions beyond expectations.

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Getting the ‘biggest big for the buck’ might sound cliché, but that’s often-what architects are paid to do. It’s for that reason well designed homes sell quickly and for top dollar, or certain restaurants are booked for weeks, or there are waiting lists for certain apartments…good design sells, and it can be transformative!

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During the last twenty years a new idiom entered the owner/developer lexicon; The Bilbao Effect. "Buildings are frequently regarded as profit opportunities, so creating 'scarcity' or a certain degree of uniqueness gives further value to the investment." "With the popular and critical success of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain, by Frank Gehry, in which a rundown area of a city in economic decline brought in huge financial growth and prestige, the media started to talk about the so-called Bilbao Effect" (Witold Rybczynsk)

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Drawing inspiration from the surroundings and context, utilizing, and taking full advantage of the form and orientation of the site, and striving for a wholistic expression that is much more than the sum of the pieces. What I mean by that is, when I’m commissioned to design a home, I am not simply concerned with ‘structure’ and ‘form’; the design inspiration is influenced by surrounding context, and the user experience starts at the sidewalk! The ‘canvas’ is your property, certainly we have building setbacks to contend with that do, thankfully, limit the size of the actual ‘building’, but a well-designed building ‘lives’ much bigger than its actual footprint. Creating space, or the illusion of space, is essential to maximizing your properties potential, increasing the value of your investment, and crucial in the design of a comfortable, well utilized, personal, custom home.