Who has inspired you and your designs over your career?
Every concrete crew, mason and steel erector that has worked for my Clients – not the fashionable answer, but how something gets built is the overwhelming reality. Logic and simplicity can be complex and takes great effort to get effortless results. -Dave Stewart
Why is client and community engagement important in design?
Our first goal is to solve a problem and create useable spaces for our client. Contrary to Howard Roark, very few Architects “build to have Clients.” We do not build without Clients. Also, often unique designs concepts and design discoveries can be found while listening and engaging. We can develop the language of the building that is consistent with the brand of the client. Or we can discover with the client a new brand or aesthetic that offers great pride for them. While we relish in the details of good design, the project belongs to the client. – Vince Haines
What are your thought’s on historical preservation important?
Renovation vs Preservation – Renovation and adaptive reuse is full-scale recycling, without hauling material offsite to convert and bring back onsite. Preservation has its place, but fewer and fewer Clients want to pay a premium for time capsules and museums as working and living environments – they need spaces that give old buildings new life. – Dave Stewart
What’s a current architectural trend that has your attention?
Interestingly, I am most attentive to the re-birth of the International Style. This style has proven to be an excellent study on sustainability. The materials of the era were very robust and thus a very long life-cycle. The orientation and use of daylighting and passive solar was crucial. All that married to a design that can have vast open spaces and glass. The modern variations of Industrial Style have my attention lately. – Vince Haines
