Design Principles & Goals

VITRUVIUS, a roman architect thought to have lived during the reign of emperor Augustus (30 BC to 14 AD), wrote the only architectural treatise to survive the Dark Ages.  It is called "On Architecture" and was intended to describe a complete system of architecture including: planning and design of public and private buildings, their siting, visual qualities, ventilation, and plumbing, techniques for applying stucco, mixing paints, descriptions of the classical orders, and appropriate proportions, as well as many other construction and design aspects.  Today the details are very different, but the three general principles he identified hold true.  

“A building should stand up and resist the elements over a long period without waste, using economy of structure and materials without extravagance.”

 “A building should serve the functions, comforts, and health of people while fostering      community and sensitivity to its surroundings.”                              

 “A building should engage people with forms and spaces that attract, inspire or simply shine through to people’s hearts and minds so that people want to go there, live there, work there, Be there”