Design Philosophy
FRANCIS GIVREN understands the complexity of creating and realizing an architectural vision. Our design process is framed around 10 design pillars that shape what we refer to as the architecture of “Interbeing”. The understanding that “all things exist in a state of interconnected being, a state of being interwoven & mutually dependent” which inspires us to approach design in a balanced and harmonious manner respecting all aspects of the design process.
10 Pillars of Design
SYNERGISTIC PROGRAMMING: Programming is not just utility and pragmatics it is also the basis for exploring and creating human relationships and inspired formal and spatial connections.
SUSTAINABILITY: Healing existing planetary issues, minimize negative environmental impacts of buildings and providing solutions that elevate the health and well-being of the planet and humankind.
HUMAN CENTERED DESIGN: A design approach that puts people at the center of the design process and focuses on creating architecture that enhances wellbeing. Human centered design is considered to be the intersection of desirability, viability and feasibility.
DESIGN CONTINUUM/PLACE MAKING: Holistic design integrates; landscape (earth-scape), building form (exterior-envelop) and building environment (interior-spaces) into a cohesive compositional unity and are the foundation of place making. A “place making” approach prioritizes people over infrastructure and the human experience over utility. 5 tenets of place making; 1. Variety of uses 2. Human scale 3. Invite interaction 4.Respond to local context 5. Integrate; ecology, history, culture.
CRAFT, COMPOSITION, CONSTRUCTABILTY: Craft: The essential meaning of craft in architecture lies in the nature of the connections a building or space creates—both internally, between its constituent parts, and externally, through its relationship to its place. These connections can be physical, temporal, or even spiritual. Composition: In architecture is the arrangement of the elements of a building or structure within a given space. It's a set of patterns that are organized within one another, with each aspect of the building relating to the others to create a unified whole. Constructability: Architecture constructability is the process of ensuring that a building or construction project can be built efficiently and easily based on its design. It's a critical factor in project success and involves a collaborative review of various aspects of the project. The goal of constructability is to optimize the project so that construction can begin without unexpected complications.
NEURO-WELL (NEUROSCIENCE + ARCHITECTURE): Neuro architecture is an interdisciplinary field that studies how the brain interacts with built spaces and how physical spaces impact our emotions, behaviors, and well-being. Neuro architecture combines neuroscience, environmental psychology, and architecture to understand how people interact with their surroundings. It's based on the idea that environments directly influence the behavior and emotions of their users and have a direct impact on the human nervous system.
50/50 PROPOSITION: The 50/50 proposition challenges architects to create a balance between space/volume and the building mass thereby creating visioning work that balances; openness, access to nature, access to natural light, air flow, visual connections and a oneness of experience between building and environment.
FINANCIAL ALIGNMENT: Designing projects that align with clients financial goals is essential and starts with understanding the difference between project cost vs construction costs. This understanding should be determined during the discovery process as it can shape the project from design onward.
GENERATIVE PATTERNS: Whether it be patterns in nature (earth) or patterns within the body (human) architectural design as a holistic and integrative art draws inspiration from any and all patterns as these are the basis of form (architecture).
HARMONY OF OPPOSITES: Anything expressed in form is an expression of opposites and the harmony, balance and tension of opposites is always at play in the composition of architecture.