Philosophy
Exceptional architectural design should enhance personal interactions and support the needs of the client in an environmentally conscious manner. While a project can be an exquisite artistic statement, it fails when it doesn’t meet those goals. Residentially, nothing is a more accurate reflection of who we are than the spaces we create as our homes. Likewise, a project for a business should reflect the image and values of the corporation.
Each of us has a series of personal rituals that regulate our day. Ross Design takes an all encompassing approach to architecture. We are committed to creating living environments that reinforce and enhance those rituals. Businesses also have their own set of rituals that reinforce their customer interactions. In all cases the resulting project should provide a sequence of well articulated spaces appropriate to and supportive of the client’s requirements.
One of the most striking ways to reinforce these rituals is through the manipulation of natural light and spatial volumes. This reinforces and emphasizes the private or public nature of spaces by focusing on the transition zones between them. Another approach is through the careful manipulation of openings. This creates a strong connection between the interior and exterior spaces while maintaining views and privacy.
People respond to subtle cues without necessarily being aware of that response. Appropriately used, details reinforce the desired intent of a space. They can invite or limit approach, encourage formal or informal behavior, and either accelerate or calm activity. They emerge from and are based upon an understanding of psychology as well as construction techniques.
Great architecture also involves responsible use of resources. We believe that design must include measures to reduce long-range operating costs, the use of alternate or recycled materials, and refined construction and waste management practices. Our designs take a keep-it-simple approach to innovation. We look at a 50-year or longer lifecycle for a building and make sure that the systems can evolve with technological advances.
Finally, outstanding architecture demands much more than the ability to create beautiful drawings. It requires extensive knowledge of quality craftsmanship and an understanding of how things are built. When we design, we look at plans not as two-dimensional functional diagrams, but as three-dimensional spaces to be experienced long into the future.