To our Clients
Building solidly on the foundation of your dreams
we are here to serve you in the realization of your ambitions
. - By turning ideas into places of inspiration, work & relaxation.
Real Buildings begin in the minds of you
the client. Architecture is the process of turning those dreams
into a concrete reality. Having a technical background, I understand
how to put a building together as a draughtman, one who puts those
ideas on paper to instruct the contractors how to build it. I
also understand coming from a building science viewpoint tackle
the very real issues of designing the building fabric to perform
- to keep a durable seperation between the outside and indoor
environments. This combination of technical perspectives is very
unusual for an architect. However architecture is much more than
a technical exercise when it comes to designing a building, my
enjoyment lies in the process of discovering what is the essential
purpose from my clients viewpoint. Profitablity and ambition may
be a motivating force that operates at some level but its not
the be all and the end all..
Typically design is always more than the
strict pragmatics of dollars and cents as the value added is essentially
priceless. Based on this higher objective and insight - coming
up with Simple solutions that are appopiate to my Client's
intention is the ultimate challenge and therefor a much more
satisfying exercise. This is the value I bring to the drafting
table.
As I see it a building not only must keep
out the weather, it also must breath in and out people, air ,
as well as all raw and waste materials. It also must be built
on budget and abide by municipal and building code regulations.
Those are the basics that anyone with the appropiate skills
can do.
But the -real- challenge is in going
further.
After achieving the basics - as if the above
was not enough- it means going further to create a visual and
physical object somewhat akin to a sculpturer who makes a visual
statement. The visual statement is determined by the colour,
the postioning and quality of materials. It's determined by the
size, shape and form of the building and whether or not the building
in the context of its neighbours, is either in conformance or
making a statement by contrast .
But going further yet is the challenge of creating
an atmosphere. We as human beings by nature do not
analyse or look at buildings, we simply use them and either
we are comfortable and inspired or we are not.
Building are all made of the same stuff, wood, brick, stone, concrete
. . . anyone can assemble the parts and meet minimal requirements
of the building authorities or even make some kind of a visual
statement of sorts but a successful building is much much more
. . .
An atmosphere is something that is
appropiate to the users be they tenants, retail shoppers,
or just passers by - potential visitors (or clients). If the building
is a retail establishment, it must be warm and inviting and above
all feel secure and safe. If it is a an office environment it
must be free from distractions, be spacious and non-confining
or even prestigious while still providing the security of a cozy
corner but . . .
Above all - Every building is a statement
of the owner who commissioned it - I am only one member
of a team - the prime motivator of that team being first of all
my client and secondly all the supporting cast. With our skills
we can turn simple materials into multiple spaces which can be
very private and comfortable or very open and inviting. Overall
these spaces and its outer and inner shell are the expression
of you the building owner's intentions.
So all in all - typically design starts
with a good understanding of the task at hand from both the owners
and the users viewpoint. Secondly from a design perspective, it
starts with a design idea or theme one wishes to communicate or
create and this varies greatly from client to client. And underlying
all that is the technical in regard to the building fabric - will
it be durable and trouble free keeping in mind the prevalent weather
conditions and use of the building.
All in all it's a challenge of tenacity, not losing focus from start
to finish to express the owners intention. This is why - architectural
awards are first of all given to the owner - as it should be - without
the client nothing happens. As I stated in my opening statement
- it all begins in the mind of the client. But the rewards are more
than monetary for all concerned. It's that feeling as someone once
said " It always feels good when a good plan finally comes
together."
It takes a team an "A Team" to pull it together. Think
of Vision Architecture as that paint brush of reality - all you
need is the vague whisp of an idea - as a team we can bring that
idea to life.
We are looking
for clients who wish to make a contribution by setting an example
of values which help define who we all are.
. . . Les Raketti - VISION Architecture.
. .
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