Category: Building Program

  • East Beach: “Design Connection” – Builder & Architect Collaboration

    East Beach in Norfolk, Virginia was a chance to prove that timeless design principles could revive a city’s tradition of great neighborhoods. We adapted lessons from Celebration, brought builders into a shared vision early, and even borrowed a few unconventional tactics to inspire them. The result was a community that feels as authentic as the…

  • Aligning Design Ambitions with Budget Constraints

    This article emphasizes the importance of a well-structured budgeting process in development projects. It highlights the distinction between budgets and cost estimates, advocating for early budget establishment to align financial goals with design aspirations. It details top-down and bottom-up budgeting methods, underscores the need for contingencies, and advises thorough documentation for accountability. By blending project…

  • Crafting a Comprehensive Building Program: Key Insights

    This article makes the case for clearly defined programmatic requirements in real estate projects. To develop an effective design brief, you need to detail both operational functions and component specifications. The Qiddiya Arena is used as a case study to show how well-planned spaces and clearly stated relationships between them are critical. Early definition of…