Work

Culture & Civic

Our civic and cultural buildings are the tangible embodiments of a society's identity and values. From town halls and energy plants to museums, these structures serve as communal hubs where public engagement, governance, and cultural expression converge. However, their significance transcends mere functionality; they shape and reflect the collective ethos of a community.

We believe that thoughtful design and understanding of space are essential for fostering cultural integration and supporting community identity. Ultimately, these buildings not only serve practical purposes but also serve as the physical manifestations of shared heritage and aspirations.

Health & Life-Science

We engage with the healthcare sector when we are at our most vulnerable. What we experience upon connecting with a care provider or entering a health facility speaks directly to our minds and hearts and impacts the quality of our care.

We understand that the work we do should strike a balance that also respects the imperative of flow lines and clinical efficiency. The design, the layout, and the organisation must be robust and flexible as human nature remains the only constant in a world of everchanging technological and medical advancements.

It is with this in mind that we approach the design of houses of care, health, and wellness. With every project we are shaping experiences, and we do it with curiosity, empathy, and creativity. Our work celebrates human nature and existence.

Transformation & Renovation

Now, more than ever, the environmental and social effects of construction demand our attention. Transforming, renovating and reusing our existing neighbourhoods, campuses, waterfronts, industrial sites, and buildings are an essential part of our commitment to reducing environmental impact.

When we choose to reuse rather than build new, we capture a building’s existing embodied energy. This helps to minimise waste, save resources, and preserve cultural heritage. But not only is the reuse of an existing space one of the most sustainable strategies available to us today – it is also one of the most exciting.

Retail & Commercial

Commercial spaces are undergoing a transformation spurred by shifting consumer preferences. While shopping malls and big-box department stores once dominated the commercial realm, the experience economy and the rise in internet shopping have led to consumers who expect more than mere commercial transactions. Rather, they seek intimacy, customisation, and personalised experiences.

We approach retail spaces as platforms for meaningful interactions and inspiration. Places that foster authentic connections and shared experiences among people. Contemporary retail architecture is evolving to create inviting environments where consumers can engage in conversations and forge memorable moments together.

Urbanism

Urban planning stands at the centre of dealing with the climate crisis that is inevitably upon us. As we see mass urbanisation as global mega trend, dealing with aspects like high densification, transportation, food production, adaptive transformation, housing scarcity, biodiversity loss, and rapid shifts - climatic, political, as economical, planning has become the battlefield from where we as designers can drive the biggest change. Collaboration is at the heart of our work as we strive to create thriving communities that benefit all living systems.

Artist Collaborations

Architecture can be a canvas or a sculptural mould for art. It can also be fully submerged into each other, making it hard to tell where the architecture ends and the art piece begins.

Throughout history, the artist and the architect were often the same person. In our projects, we approach our artist collaborations as an on-going dialogue. In mutual respect we give way for the artistic intervention as layers that seep into the walls, floors, or ceilings. Or stand out with a cry or message that grasps the attention from visitors and users of the building. Together we aim to move people, striking a note and setting a mood that makes it a place to remember.

Education

Educational institutions provide environments for reflection, innovation, and creativity, centered around a shared identity. Great institutions do more – they are cross-disciplinary platforms that empower their learners to chart their own paths. Given the nature of the work, we too employ our creativity fearlessly as we develop new paths specific to the challenge at hand. We are unbiased and comprehensive in our design approach, yet direct and distinct in our architectural response.

Libraries

For the past 25 years, we have designed more than 25 libraries across the globe. From small-scale spatial interventions in Dhakar and Minsk to the grand unveiling of the world's largest library in Shanghai, our projects reflect a rich tapestry of scale and geography.

Throughout our ongoing work with libraries over the past three decades, we have witnessed an unprecedented library renaissance. The rapidly changing social, technological, and demographic trends have caused libraries to evolve dramatically.

As places of learning through contemplation, engaging with different media, creating, and connecting with others, libraries are the cultural hubs of our time. In a world that occasionally feels fragmented, libraries provide a unique framework where we can come together around shared interests and the joy of learning.

Office

Our approach to Workplace explores the key global trends shaping the future design, utilisations and operation of commercial offices.
At our heart, we’re problem solvers. We know that workplace is a powerful tool for boosting innovation, increasing employee engagement and in turn, achieving organisational goals. 

From the downfall of mono-functionality to reductions in size and scale, the identity of the office is being redefined towards a more flexible and adaptable entity, capable of expanding and contracting on demand. We see workplaces as destinations; spaces where employers and developers are experimenting with alternative modes of working. Moreover, offices are being embedded as the beating heart of mixed-use developments blending public space with retail and lifestyle offerings. 

Our approach to Workplace considers a broad spectrum of research and trends relevant to this transforming typology, including digital services, emerging business models and workforce wellbeing.

Residential

Home is more than a physical structure. It is a feeling, and a sacred personal space for connection and retreat. With its deeply individual purpose and function, we believe homes should be thoughtfully designed spaces that support health and wellbeing.

Our residential projects honour the diversity of the home experience and provide a frame for everyday life. We design in a symbiosis between building, landscape, and city, considering the physical, social, and emotional aspects of everyday life.

Positively contributing to the development of healthy communities is instrumental to our work. By connecting each personal space to the building, the neighborhood, and the city that surrounds it, we create a sense of place and a feeling of belonging. This is essential for the welfare of residents and for the resilience of healthy societies.

Timber

For more than two decades, we have integrated wood in the design of cultural, civic, commercial, and educational buildings the world over. Our approach to timber construction is rooted in a culture of sustainability and smart business – we believe that timber exists where these two notions intersect.

Hybrid mixed-use

We approach every one of our projects with a hybrid mindset. Whether it’s the more traditional combination of functions or the blurring of the boundary between a building and the public realm, it is our philosophy that every project serves more than one purpose. And each unique development has more than a singular meaning to the people who use it. 

We experiment with the functions of a hybrid building, composing them in new, innovative, often surprising ways. Instead of taking the components and assembling them in the most obvious way, we strive to create a whole that is larger than the sum of its parts.