Urban Design
Urban
design is about the space between buildings and the
experience of the urban fabric rather than the objects
that make up that fabric. As Denise Scott Brown said,
it is not about 'big architecture'. This conception
considers the Public Realm – the public face of
buildings and the spaces between buildings – as a
cultural artefact and the information system by which
we find meaning in the environment.
Architectural
Design
Good
architecture addresses a number of considerations,
including functional clarity, context, and response to
climate. It is about a sense of place. To be
sustainable, architecture must address all of these
issues in an aesthetic manner. While not every building
can be a landmark or a monument, every building
contributes to the city as a whole.
Transit
Planning & Design
Transit
planning and design must be firmly based on best
practices principles which are derived from the
functional requirements of system technology and the
analysis of pedestrian movement. Beyond the functional,
transit planning and design should consider the role of
transit as the gateway into communities, the
opportunity to provide focal points for social
interaction, and the influence of transit
infrastructure on land use and building form. Finding
the appropriate balance between system identity through
the ‘elements of continuity’, and local identity
through the ‘elements of distinction’ is the design
challenge unique to each transit project.
Communication Design
Communication,
in this context, is about building bridges within and
between the client team, the design team, the
regulatory authorities and the public––it is not
storytelling. It is communication about the design
decision making process and the products of that
process. Clarity regarding what is being communicated
with a conscious level of disclosure and honesty are
some of the key characteristics of building effective
communication bridges.