recent posts
- Designing in Good Design: Why the Process Matters as Much as the Product
- East Beach: “Design Connection” – Builder & Architect Collaboration
- Celebration Residential Design Process: Educate, Inspire, Collaborate
- The Importance of Designing in Good Design
- Bridging Vision and Execution: What Goes Into a Great Design Brief
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Category: Design Management
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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…
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Celebration’s success wasn’t an accident. It was the product of a deliberate process built on three steps: Educate, Inspire, and Collaborate. From hand-picking builders willing to take risks, to immersive workshops and precedent tours, to pairing production builders with top architects, this is the story of how those strategies turned a vision into an award-winning…
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What happens when you start a project assuming good design is the baseline? In my role as Town Architect for Disney’s Celebration, I learned that most of the housing industry doesn’t work that way. This piece introduces the idea of “Designing in Good Design” and why the industry’s typical approach too often leaves neighborhoods feeling…
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The article emphasizes the critical role of a comprehensive Design Brief in real estate development, which connects vision to execution. A clear, actionable design brief is crucial for successful real estate development, as emphasized in the content. It connects vision to execution, aids early decision-making, and facilitates stakeholder alignment. The brief includes several essential components:…
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Real estate development requires a strategic phasing approach to effectively manage expectations and guide execution. A clear plan helps stakeholders understand what to expect, ensuring focused resource allocation and priority setting. Successful large-scale projects, like Celebration and I’On, demonstrate the importance of delivering compelling phases that create self-sufficient neighborhoods early on. By integrating residential, civic,…
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This article focuses on the importance of integrating sustainability early in design and construction processes, emphasizing its value in enhancing environmental, financial, and social outcomes. It highlights common misconceptions about the costs and complexities of sustainable practices while advocating for strong sustainability programs tailored to specific projects. Effective communication with stakeholders is crucial for success.…
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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…
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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…
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The shift from Strategic Definition to Design Brief involves transitioning from internal alignment among key stakeholders to providing clarity for an external design team. The Project Overview communicates the project’s vision, goals, and strategic context, while the Site Context details the site specifics, including its characteristics, constraints, and opportunities. Using the Qiddiya project as an…
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The Design Brief is a crucial document that transforms a project’s vision into actionable guidelines, facilitating alignment among architects, planners, and stakeholders. It defines scope, goals, and constraints, ensuring clarity in complex developments. A well-structured brief promotes effective decision-making while allowing room for adaptation during the design process.
The Barnes Perspective: Thoughts, Ideas & Lessons Learned from Joseph Barnes 