THE CLIENT
At KSA‚ designing a house rarely begins with an architectural sketch. Instead‚ it is a collaborative process that starts with the architect asking a lot of questions and listening to the client. Out of this dialog‚ what emerges is an idea or sometimes an object that represents an inspiration for the project. For one client it was a French thriller film; for another it was a handful of rocks and sticks gathered on walks across the site; for a third it was a passion for kayaking and river life. These inspirational “seeds” grow into a concept that will give coherence and relevance to the design throughout the process by guiding choices of form‚ detailing‚ and materials.

THE PROPOSAL
Questioning and listening continue as the discussion turns to programming the spaces and their sizes and uses‚ as well as other key characteristics of the desired building. KSA encourages clients to describe how they live or want to live‚ to consider how spaces both adapt to and influence how they inhabit their home. Some of the questions that are addressed at this stage include: What size will the house be? What is the budget? What should the spaces feel like? How should they be lit? How does the house interact with the outside environment?

THE SITE
On–site client meetings at varying times of the day allow us to explore the site‚ not only from scientific and pragmatic perspectives‚ but also in terms of the client’s personal connection to the place. Such exploration gives the site a prominent “voice” at the design table. Analysis of the site as a place leads to a design that realizes and celebrates all of the site’s potential. The site raises some fairly basic questions: Where are the pleasing views? What about drainage? Where does the sun rise‚ and from what direction do the breezes come? As a place‚ the site can also prompt academic inquiries: What is its natural history? What is its inhabited history? What is the site’s essence?

The preliminary investigation of client‚ proposal‚ and site establishes a program document that points toward a coherent‚ meaningful‚ and efficient design direction. This concept–driven process shapes a poetic and practical architecture that reflects who the clients are‚ how they live‚ and where they live.