Approach
At Curtis & Windham, we practice architecture by innovating upon tradition – by which we identify the most relevant past examples, both historic and modern, and apply these to a contemporary context. Appropriate to the particularities of its time and place within a city or landscape, a successful building or garden responds to the culture in which it exists and reflects the needs and desires of the client.
The most valuable sk
ill we bring to design is knowledge – built over decades of practice and by the study of culture, technology and aesthetics of what has come before. In turn, our work contributes to a body of design representing a continuum of innovation that, we hope, will be critically examined by the next generation of architects.
Context and Client – these two fundamental variables lend individuality to each project. It is where we always begin our architectural journey. By understanding the given site of a project, whether a ranch spread over hundreds of acres, an existing house, a garden, or a single room, we understand its given constraints and opportunities. By studying the way in which a client lives, works, and plays, we get to the essence of what makes their needs unique. Put simply, each project is a chance to make a unique place suited to a singular set of circumstances.
The design of everything we undertake, from the height of a building to the shape of a molding, is guided by established systems of scale, proportion, and hierarchy. Recognizing the inherent flexibility in these systems and their value as a contemporary design tool reinforces their continued relevance. In the execution of our work, we draw upon on decades-long collaboration with skilled professionals in the allied arts – building contractors, craftsmen, artisans, and engineers – that have the ability to support and enhance our design intent.
Each building and landscape we produce contributes to a context, whether it is a city or a remote hillside. Recognizing this, we embrace our responsibility as architects to make places that continually refine and improve our surroundings.