The purpose behind design at Schmidt Associates is to act passionately and intentionally out of our Core Principles of Design, which are the mirrors of our kaleidoscope.

The first of these principles is to be Strategic.  Design solutions respond to this principle most strongly by responding to the context of the client in the built solution.  The client context includes their mission, their view of themselves in the outside world, and the opportunities to create strong connections to the outside world in both the physical and business sense.

Questions to consider include:

•  How will the built solution respond to the client’s mission and sense of purpose?
•  Does it allow them to do their work more efficiently and effectively?
•  How does the built solution address the client’s greatest needs, while considering the immediate and long-term growth strategy?
•  How will the built solution respond to the site and community context in which it will be built?  Will it speak to the values of the community in which it is located?

How strongly the built solution responds to these questions will greatly define its success as a solution for the client.  It must fit the client, move flexibly with them, allow for inevitable future growth and evolution, and maintain a strong connection to place.

We will cover “Stewardship” in our next series.