Every project begins with the land, a conversation, and a thousand sketches.
Our design methodology is rooted in curiosity and conversation. Each project is a return to first principles—a moment of stillness, close observation, and an intimate dialogue with the land.
We start by using hand drawings as a way to see and explore each site. With pencil in hand, we enter into a tactile exchange with the landscape—lines become ideas, spaces take form through repeated gestures.
We engage our clients in this creative process, which is rigorous, imaginative, and deeply immersive. Within our studio, ideas flow freely between these hand-drawn sketches, site models, and animated exchanges. Through this collaborative ethos, we shape, refine and transform concepts into buildings that are both grounded and transcendent.
The concept of place is as deeply specific as it is uniquely informative.
Place is the origin of design; it is never just a backdrop. We believe that architecture shouldn’t just occupy a site, it should elevate the experience of being in that location. Whether nestled into the hills of Northern California or perched above the Pacific, we attune each project to its particular topography, climate, and spirit. We look for the story the land wants to tell—the shape of a boulder, the path of wind through trees, or the seasonal shift of light—and we respond with buildings that dialogue with those forces.
Each project forms a symbiotic relationship with the land.
For us, architecture is a way of living with the land, not on it. Our work seeks balance—between human life and ecological processes, between shelter and exposure, between permanence and transformation. We honor native species, seasonal water flows, migratory paths, and fire-prone ecosystems as foundational design elements, and we calibrate each building to enhance the natural cycles already in motion. We draw insight from the terrain to create spaces that feel as inevitable as they are enduring.
Materials are essential components of a building’s vocabulary.
Materials speak the language of place. We choose them for durability and beauty, and for their origins and resonance with the site. Whether rammed earth extracted from a site, reclaimed wood with a memory of past use, or concrete that echoes local stone, we select materials to express time, process, and grounding. The result is a material presence that is elemental; felt through the senses, experienced over time.
We bring skill and artistry to every project.
As we design the overall composition of each building, we pay attention to the logic and beauty of the smallest details—from a door handle to a hinge. We design our own furniture, hardware, and fixtures, bringing the same care to a hand-carved chair as we do to the structure that encompasses it. This commitment to detail brings a strong visual coherence to the entire architectural ensemble.
Technology enables us to achieve a design’s full potential.
We use everything from sketches to advanced digital tools to streamline the making of buildings while reducing waste and disruption. With digital modeling, coordination platforms, and fabrication technologies, our architecture emerges with clarity from the initial concept through construction. These tools have enabled us to create a portfolio of buildings that are serene, intentional, and deeply connected to their sites.
Design, as we practice it, starts with the land.
Watch the story of the Big Sur House, created by The Local Project.