“Quality is smart business… Consumers should demand — and companies should deliver — products that are more durable, multifunctional and, crucially, socially and environmentally responsible… If we can embrace quality as the key to living more responsibly… we may just get to keep the one thing we can’t toss out: Earth.”
— Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia
“Quality is smart business… Consumers should demand — and companies should deliver — products that are more durable, multifunctional and, crucially, socially and environmentally responsible… If we can embrace quality as the key to living more responsibly… we may just get to keep the one thing we can’t toss out: Earth.”
— Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia
healthy.
Our physical and emotional health are integrally tied to the home we live in. Conventional building practices often use harmful chemicals, low-quality products, and unnatural materials. We are at a place where conventions need to change. In designing a healthy alternative to conventional construction, we follow the principles of the Building Biology Institute (BBI); designing to your site, ensuring indoor air and water quality, incorporating non-toxic natural building materials, and prioritizing the well-being of the people who will use and interact with the spaces we create.
conscious.
Responsible building in our era of climate crisis and global trade requires a holistic approach to design. It means thinking local; using sustainable resources and hiring local craftspeople. It means building smaller; using fewer products and materials. And it means building better; materials that bio-degrade and sequester carbon, that consider both the community for which they are destined as well as the community from which they came. We are proud to have completed accreditation through the International Living Futures Institute (ILFI), which reset the standards for socially just and environmentally restorative design.
durable.
Quality buildings last for generations. They should be comfortable, efficient, safe, and register the passing of time. Investments in the built environment should and can pay back throughout and beyond the lifetime of the original inhabitants. a/A follows the building science principles laid out by the Passive House Institute (PHIUS), combining materials and technologies to deliver buildings that use less energy, ensure thermal comfort, deliver good ventilation, and require lower maintenance. We can design your home to function intended and needed for years.
