Additions – Making The Whole Even Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts

Any addition to a significant, substantial building is always going to be much more than an “extension”. But for everything to add up, both aesthetically and across the budget spreadsheets, the approach taken must be crystal clear and well proven. Schmidt Associates checks the boxes on both counts.

Our Critical Success Indicators Are Critical To Successful Outcomes

What sets Schmidt Associates apart is our combination of aesthetic sense and forensic approach. When it comes to assessing the possibilities for an addition to an existing building, we look in depth at its functionality to understand what it does today and how it works. Based on a solid grasp of the current situation, we then work with our client to understand the benefits that they want from a physical expansion of the premises. We list the criteria and develop them into a series of Critical Success Indicators – CSIs – the clear coordinates for design and delivery of a project that satisfies the requirements of all stakeholders. We then go on to fulfil these criteria through a problem solving methodology that leads us step by step from where we are today to a desired and realized outcome.

In practical terms, this means examining the specific needs of the existing space and the relationships between it and any additions. We ensure that we are solving the right problems – the ones closest to our clients and their aspirations. We understand their needs and what is driving those needs. Then, based on a complete understanding, we are ready to plan. At this point we apply our “intentional” approach, making sure that every design and every proposal delivers against a specific objective and moves the project in an identified direction.

Addition Means Never Subtracting From Existing Strengths

Every Schmidt Associates building that we have expanded and enhanced is a source of special pride to us because we believe it strikes the optimum balance between what was there before and the impact of innovation. We keep existing strengths intact and we add sympathetically. On a practical level, because our planning process works with great granularity room by room and space by space, we do more than “join up’ the old and the new. We integrate them fully in terms of technology, infrastructure and specification. It is not so much the case that the revise building’s occupants “cannot see the join”. The fact is that they are experiencing a complete and flowing design vision in action. There is no “join” to see. And that is our definition of a successful addition.