Re-Framing Design Challenges  

Our design ethos is process driven, consciously resisting the pitfall of reflexive application of pre-conceived solutions. Instead, we hone in on essential questions of program and reframe them to clarify design integrity and intent. This re-framing and subsequent iteration allows for unexpected opportunities and innovations.  

Material Culture and Unique Identity of Craft 

In a manufactured environment where authenticity is increasingly rare, our work explores innovative ways that the act-of-making is revealed through simple yet novel material expression. We believe that architecture can create a counterpoint to the ubiquitous placelessness characterized by the assemblage of indistinct buildings and components that disconnect us from our environment. Leveraging both the challenges and opportunities of site, program, and available resources, our aim is to create places that celebrate the history, ecology, and culture from which they arise; reflect the materials from which they are made; and reveal the distinct fingerprints of people who craft them. 

Working Groups 

DIGSAU’s Equity Working Group facilitates the creation and maintenance of an environment inclusive to professionals to enhance their professional development, networking, and leadership skills. The group hosts quarterly workshops with third-party educators, organizations, and internal sessions that are focused both externally and internally focused gatherings. These events cultivate officewide conversations and keep the team focused and aware on topics of diversity and inclusion, workplace conflict, oppression and harassment, and respectful communication and behavior. 

The Sustainability Working Group leads our effort to make sustainable design intuitive and second-nature for all DIGSAU employees by expanding environmental literacy and applying metrics to our high sustainability goals throughout the design and construction process. 

The Technical Working Group’s focus is improving and managing the quality of our design documents, supporting an innovative design culture, and delivering projects at a multitude of scales through the codification of technical knowledge management. The team works to develop standards and best practices for documentation and quality control processes, engage in materials and building science research, and support mentorship and knowledge sharing in order to promote consistency, quality, and technical proficiency across all projects and staff. 

The Digital Working Group encourages design innovation and increased efficiency through digital design tools. The team continually invests time and resources into internal continuing education on emerging technologies for BIM modeling, visualization, graphic representation, and renderings.