We're dedicated toward improving the quality of community life.

Our Community Practice is built upon decades of experience. We deeply understand the needs of higher education, K-12 school, early education, civic and government clients and are dedicated to improving the quality of community life by enhancing educational, cultural, spiritual and wellness opportunities for all. We reach beyond architecture and into the heart of your campus or community to create thriving, sustainable environments that advance your mission. We bring you proven solutions, intriguing new ideas, and inspiring possibilities that will open new doors to success for you and the people you serve.

Higher Education

Within the Community Practice, we have a team of professionals who have dedicated their careers exclusively to the design of academic and higher education facilities. Our experts have designed student housing, living and learning centers, student centers, dining halls, performing arts centers, classrooms, libraries, laboratories, health science facilities, athletic facilities, and administrative buildings. We collaborate intensely with leaders from Facilities, Administration, Student Life, Student Housing, Operations, and end-users to deliver projects that enhance the social and academic learning experience for every student.

Our body of work in higher education includes projects on more than 50 campuses nationwide and includes work for public and private universities as well as community colleges. We believe that the application of our lessons learned and best practices to each client’s unique situation directly impacts their success. We also bring a body of research focused on “What Students Want”, “What Teachers Want”, “21st Century Immersive Learning” and “Micro-living for Student Housing”.

K-12 Schools

For many years, we have partnered with educators to better understand what happens in the classroom – designing schools that inspire students and teachers to perform at their highest potential and that enhance the entire community. With a national network of offices and educational specialists, and a body of research, design, and internationally recognized expertise on the new 21st Century Immersive LearningScape, we bring a big picture perspective of the emerging knowledge and trends that are shaping the learning experiences of today’s students. Our Immersive Learningscape concept is designed for personalized learning, where hands-on active engagement, and the teaching and development of 21st century skills (communication, collaboration, teamwork, public speaking, critical thinking, innovation, and creativity) are facilitated through an environments’ experience that emphasizes wellness, neuroscience-based learning, choice, personalized environments, and technology-infused spaces.

We work with large and small, public school districts, independent schools, charter schools and faith- based schools, from coast to coast. We ‘optimize’ the design and budget of each project by focusing on smart decisions that positively elevate the success of our clients.

Civic & Cultural

We are committed to bringing best practice design to the creation of cornerstone civic spaces. Our team of experts has pioneered unique and bold civic environments that are the aesthetic and functional centerpiece of countless communities. Their value cannot be overstated. Why? Because well-designed civic projects – town halls, museums, performing arts centers, theaters, libraries, pavilions, and government buildings -advance growth, prosperity, and quality of life for all citizens.

Civic and Cultural projects are also often places for community members to gather and socialize; thus, these facilities often support multiple purposes, igniting a community culturally, intellectually, and socially. As these spaces evolve to meet changing needs, it’s critical that research play a role in our design process. That’s why we’re actively involved in international civic and cultural design competitions and have created thought leadership pieces such as the “21St Century Public Library: Crafting a New Paradigm for a Changing World,” outlining how innovation in the design of libraries can support a new world mindset.

Athletic & Wellness

Whether a multi-use complex or within an educational campus, recreational facilities promote the health and wellness of individuals and communities. They foster a sense of pride, focus and competition, and above all, inspire great performance.

Athletic and wellness venues must often be designed with the flexibility to accommodate a diverse mix of uses. Our transdisciplinary team carefully crafts a holistic, immersive experience that incorporates planning, branding and environmental graphics, hospitality, and retail and seamlessly integrates programmatic needs such as training, learning and physical therapy. Not only do we create facilities that unite communities and provide a competitive advantage for clients, they help create a healthier, more sustainable future for users of the facility.

Planning

We believe that every opportunity to intervene on a campus provides us with amazing opportunities to create solutions that elevate the culture and the mission of your campus. That’s why, well-developed, well-maintained campus and facility master plans are critical to success. For over 15 years we have researched, developed, and implemented thought-leading efforts that seek to better understand the interconnectedness of learning, teaching, neuroscience, technology, and the environments where teaching and learning happens. We use this knowledge and a deeply collaborative process to develop a master unique to your needs, while respecting the existing campus and the surrounding environment.