After nearly thirty years of practicing architecture, Karl’s design philosophy equally embraces being context sensitive, place making, simple elegance, value, and balance.
At the most basic level, all projects have a physical context – the place where they occur. Quality designs fit that environment – whether it is a natural place or an urban place. The owner’s goals are an important component of the context. The best designs recognize and express those goals and come from seeking and knowing what is wanted. Such goals may be as simple as profit, but might also be function, comfort or artistic expression. Lastly, in most cases, community goals make up a part of the project’s context and seeking, knowing, and responding to those goals is necessary for a successful design.
The practice of architecture, site and development design, the building of buildings, is about place making. In industrial projects, place making is typically pure function – fitting processes into spaces efficiently in layout and manufacturing. In public spaces, successful place making is creating environments that by their character support the use – enjoyable places where we want to be – where we want to work, shop or be entertained. Great places to live can have any of several characteristics – such as a sense of retreat, simplicity, or elegance – but in all cases they need to reflect the character of the resident. They provide a backdrop for our lives – raising children, entertaining friends, our hobbies, and simply being at home.
Great architecture is unlike applying paint to canvas because the canvas itself is an integral part of the design. Composing the spaces, the massing, the structure, as well as creating the character, sensibility, and delight are all one – parts of single whole brought about through the basic design elements of scale and proportion, rhythm, unity, emphasis, and balance. In addition to these basic design elements, great architectural design typically has a degree of elegance and features simplicity, quality, and value.
So, to what good is context, place making, quality, and delight if the project never gets built? Too often, a focus on one, or all but one, generates a failure. Real architecture is a balancing act, fundamentally between art and science, but in a bigger context between many competing goals. To be successful, a project design needs to balance all of these goals - as well as budget and time. Karl’s design philosophy emphasizes each but balances all.
Balancing competing goals is key component of Karl’s approach to working with clients. Balancing the client’s goals, the community’s goals, place making, the art and science of architecture, delight, budget, and time is how Karl provides clients with value. To accomplish this, Karl thinks about his client’s projects in a comprehensive manner and presents clients with options for consideration and decisions.
Karl’s hands-on construction experience benefits Karl’s clients and is appreciated by speculative builders and contractors alike. All too often architectural solutions are offered up that may look nice but that lack reasonable or affordable “constructability”. When working with builders, Karl is knowledgeable as to how buildings are assembled, logistics, and man-power requirements, resulting in relationships with builder’s that are mutually respectful – all to the client’s benefit in both time and money. Karl will not present his clients with a solution that is not comprehensive, that is un-coordinated, or that has constructability issues.
Often people struggle with the government regulations and processes of building. Karl brings years of development experience, experience of being on City commissions, and of being one of the bureaucrats, to benefit his client’s project and to achieve their goals. Through the years Karl has found that most of the time “the answer” lies in understanding what is being asked and finding the common ground. With some mutual flexibility, common ground almost always exists. He values his strong relationships with the staff and commissions and has a track record of success even in the face of apparent adversity.
Karl’s original interest in architecture came from an interest in historic preservation. That remains an enjoyable part of his practice – making old buildings serve modern needs and keeping some of the community’s history intact. The quality of materials and the quality of workmanship in historic buildings is simply unaffordable for most people so keeping those has amazing value.
For his entire career, Karl has volunteered and donated services toward affordable housing.This work has included Board membership on the Santa Barbara Community Housing Corporation and Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona as well as donated or discounted architectural services for the Santa Barbara Community Housing Corporation, Homes for People, Habitat for Humanity of Northern Arizona, and Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona, and the City of Flagstaff’s Housing Section. These organizations have appreciated his development experience, construction experience, and knowledge of government regulations and processes.
