Mission
We believe that architecture creates community and identity. Your most
valuable resource is your people, and design is the process of engaging people and discovering the best way to organize each project around a shared mission.
Design is the pathway for each institution to achieve its full potential. A compelling project reflects the stakeholders’ vision, and is the result of listening to the users, discovering how each activity contributes to the clients’ long term goals, and developing a forward-looking project that advances those goals.
Design is the pathway for each institution to achieve its full potential. A compelling project reflects the stakeholders’ vision, and is the result of listening to the users, discovering how each activity contributes to the clients’ long term goals, and developing a forward-looking project that advances those goals.
Design
The best way to leverage a capital investment is through design. Design brings connectivity and serendipity, both key to a vibrant community. Design expresses the institution’s mission, it's purpose and contribution to society.
Each client brings a portfolio of buildings and land, and our design process explores ways to modify this portfolio. Whether it’s a small renovation of a lobby, a back-of-house renovation, or a large signature capital project, the right design is a powerful investment in creating a forward looking culture.
Each client brings a portfolio of buildings and land, and our design process explores ways to modify this portfolio. Whether it’s a small renovation of a lobby, a back-of-house renovation, or a large signature capital project, the right design is a powerful investment in creating a forward looking culture.
Campus Planning
Our campus planning provides a roadmap for institutional decision-making.
Campuses evolve over time, and our campus plans allow incremental growth and change to clearly reflect the long term mission. Over a period of ten or fifteen years, using a series of carefully planned projects, including new construction, renovation and demolition, a campus can be transformed.
Our process begins by breaking down a campus into precincts and focusing on the optimum potential of each precinct. Our strength is developing visions for science and engineering precincts. First we assess the people and the programs. Looking ahead 20 years, how much space is needed? What kind of space is needed? And what adjacencies are needed? Next we assess the buildings and the site. We develop the maximum desirable capacity of each precinct, measured in people, activity and building area. How much additional space is available?
Lastly we look at the infrastructure, and how to make it unobtrusive: the engineering loads, the service needs, and the parking, loading and vehicular traffic. Many campuses evolve around available infrastructure, at the expense of program priorities. We like to flip this model, and give clients the ability to make campus decisions that are based on program priorities, not infrastructure.
Bringing these three together - the people, the building, and the infrastructure - we look for a series of high quality pedestrian spaces, both indoors and outdoors, to move people through the campus. The result is increased density, a strong sense of community and a unique identity.
Campuses evolve over time, and our campus plans allow incremental growth and change to clearly reflect the long term mission. Over a period of ten or fifteen years, using a series of carefully planned projects, including new construction, renovation and demolition, a campus can be transformed.
Our process begins by breaking down a campus into precincts and focusing on the optimum potential of each precinct. Our strength is developing visions for science and engineering precincts. First we assess the people and the programs. Looking ahead 20 years, how much space is needed? What kind of space is needed? And what adjacencies are needed? Next we assess the buildings and the site. We develop the maximum desirable capacity of each precinct, measured in people, activity and building area. How much additional space is available?
Lastly we look at the infrastructure, and how to make it unobtrusive: the engineering loads, the service needs, and the parking, loading and vehicular traffic. Many campuses evolve around available infrastructure, at the expense of program priorities. We like to flip this model, and give clients the ability to make campus decisions that are based on program priorities, not infrastructure.
Bringing these three together - the people, the building, and the infrastructure - we look for a series of high quality pedestrian spaces, both indoors and outdoors, to move people through the campus. The result is increased density, a strong sense of community and a unique identity.
Programming and Lab Design
A space program tells the design team how the building will work when first completed, and how it supports future growth and change over time.
The program is based on three things: people, activities and equipment. People have multiple needs from program spaces. They have overt functional needs and latent behavioral needs. An activity such as a classroom has both a formal role and an informal role.
The program develops the amount of space, the quality of space and the adjacency of space. It uses blocking and stacking diagrams to visualize how the programs can be arranged in three dimensions.
Lab programs use modular designs and set the structural cadence of the shell and core. A lab program also shows the pattern of horizontal pathways and vertical shafts for engineering services, and sets the floor to ceiling height. Access to these services is key to the long term life of the building. If horizontal pathways and vertical shafts are buried, inaccessible and buried, change is difficult.
Lab programs have menus for fit-out components that are inserted into the shell and core: fume hoods, overhead services and modular casework. Fit out components like casework and partitions are easily changeable over time, whereas the shell and core components like columns and ceiling heights are not.
Programming and lab design are complex and critical to long term success of science buildings and campuses, and set the pathway for our future in integrated engineering, science, and technology.
The program is based on three things: people, activities and equipment. People have multiple needs from program spaces. They have overt functional needs and latent behavioral needs. An activity such as a classroom has both a formal role and an informal role.
The program develops the amount of space, the quality of space and the adjacency of space. It uses blocking and stacking diagrams to visualize how the programs can be arranged in three dimensions.
Lab programs use modular designs and set the structural cadence of the shell and core. A lab program also shows the pattern of horizontal pathways and vertical shafts for engineering services, and sets the floor to ceiling height. Access to these services is key to the long term life of the building. If horizontal pathways and vertical shafts are buried, inaccessible and buried, change is difficult.
Lab programs have menus for fit-out components that are inserted into the shell and core: fume hoods, overhead services and modular casework. Fit out components like casework and partitions are easily changeable over time, whereas the shell and core components like columns and ceiling heights are not.
Programming and lab design are complex and critical to long term success of science buildings and campuses, and set the pathway for our future in integrated engineering, science, and technology.
Academic Buildings
A campus core consists of an ensemble of academic buildings. Each of these academic buildings is a home, where people spend impactful time engaged in personal and group discovery. When there is visual interaction, with the use of glass and open staircases, visitors see and understand the “learning culture” of an institution. Architecture creates a sense of community by being open and engaging.
By carefully renovating, demolishing and replacing, and adding on, these buildings signal this learning culture and the campus core evolves to attract faculty, staff and students.
Robustness and future-proofing are hallmarks of an academic science / engineering building. Having a robust shell and core, and a regular, modular cadence of columns and services allows growth and change for future generations.
By carefully renovating, demolishing and replacing, and adding on, these buildings signal this learning culture and the campus core evolves to attract faculty, staff and students.
Robustness and future-proofing are hallmarks of an academic science / engineering building. Having a robust shell and core, and a regular, modular cadence of columns and services allows growth and change for future generations.
Nanotech
Buildings that require high resolution are planned, designed, built and operated differently than regular lab buildings. It’s a different building type. The overall site, the building, and its engineering systems are carefully optimized to reduce energy sources. Any form of energy - vibration, electrical , magnetic, air flow, and changes in air temperature and humidity - all can disrupt nano processes.
Tight criteria are set by the tools and the processes. Our scope includes regular dry damp and wet research labs, special high performance research labs, clean rooms and imaging facilities.
Centrally managed research cleanrooms use HEPA filtration to reduce particle counts; they also use adjacent metrology and packaging areas. Imaging suites use high bay, quiet spaces with adjacent noisy pump corridors. High bay individual research work uses tools such as Low temperature Scanning and Tunneling Microscopes LTSTM.
Nano research labs can use large amounts of cryogenics. They also include dilution fridge labs, MBE labs, and cryo/optics labs. Labs may have tight temperature controls that require a dedicated air handling unit.
Nanotech buildings are carefully operated to keep tools from interfering with each other, and to keep the engineering systems from generating noise. From initial site planning , and building concept, to specific neighborhoods, and then to detailed fit-out and tool hook-up, nano projects are a special design and construction discipline requiring close communication with users, designers and contractors.
Tight criteria are set by the tools and the processes. Our scope includes regular dry damp and wet research labs, special high performance research labs, clean rooms and imaging facilities.
Centrally managed research cleanrooms use HEPA filtration to reduce particle counts; they also use adjacent metrology and packaging areas. Imaging suites use high bay, quiet spaces with adjacent noisy pump corridors. High bay individual research work uses tools such as Low temperature Scanning and Tunneling Microscopes LTSTM.
Nano research labs can use large amounts of cryogenics. They also include dilution fridge labs, MBE labs, and cryo/optics labs. Labs may have tight temperature controls that require a dedicated air handling unit.
Nanotech buildings are carefully operated to keep tools from interfering with each other, and to keep the engineering systems from generating noise. From initial site planning , and building concept, to specific neighborhoods, and then to detailed fit-out and tool hook-up, nano projects are a special design and construction discipline requiring close communication with users, designers and contractors.
Preservation
William Wilson FAIA has extensive expertise in historic restoration and preservation. Wilson has served on the Board of Trustees of the Preservation Society of Newport County, supporting its mission.
His profound knowledge of preservation and restoration has been invaluable in maintaining the integrity of Newport's historic properties. Wilson's contributions extend to providing expert guidance for the Society's ongoing efforts to acquire and preserve significant decorative arts, manuscripts, and other artistic works that are crucial to safeguarding the rich history of Newport.
Beyond his work with the Newport Preservation Society, Wilson has also undertaken significant restoration projects at Greenvale Vineyards. This includes the meticulous restoration of the Historic Main House and Stable, which now also functions as a Tasting Room.
These structures were originally designed by the esteemed architect John Hubbard Sturgis between 1864 and 1865, and Wilson's efforts have ensured their continued historical accuracy and structural integrity
His profound knowledge of preservation and restoration has been invaluable in maintaining the integrity of Newport's historic properties. Wilson's contributions extend to providing expert guidance for the Society's ongoing efforts to acquire and preserve significant decorative arts, manuscripts, and other artistic works that are crucial to safeguarding the rich history of Newport.
Beyond his work with the Newport Preservation Society, Wilson has also undertaken significant restoration projects at Greenvale Vineyards. This includes the meticulous restoration of the Historic Main House and Stable, which now also functions as a Tasting Room.
These structures were originally designed by the esteemed architect John Hubbard Sturgis between 1864 and 1865, and Wilson's efforts have ensured their continued historical accuracy and structural integrity