We put people first.

We believe that human beings are the most important component of any development. We design to the human scale and choose to accommodate people of all ages and abilities.  We believe that developments should respect the human experience, promote human health, and respond to the needs of the community. In the same spirit, we believe that respect for our planet and sustainability should be incorporated in all business decisions since a healthy environment is a basic requirement of human existence.

We have “no in our pocket”.

Our French relatives brought us a gift in form of a French colloquial expression: “Nous avons non dans notre poche”.  It means, “we have no in our pocket”, and loosely translates to “why not try?” We find it to be both creative and energizing to approach our work with an exploratory attitude. An open mind and flexible approach invites the constructive input of others, allows us to adapt to feedback as we go along, and ultimately pushes us to challenge our own assumptions about what we think is possible. 

We choose collaboration over competition.

We have enormous respect for the leadership, energy and talent we see around us in our city. We feel there is so much to be gained by connecting with each other, supporting each other, problem solving together, and by sharing resources. We throw our full weight behind supporting our tenants as they go about building their businesses and homes. They in turn contribute to the local economy and shape our community, and in the end, we are all better off for it.

We make healthy choices easy.

Churchill said “We shape our buildings; thereafter, they shape us.”  We believe that development has a civic component and we are passionate about opportunities to promote individual and community well-being. Why not use a little creativity and common sense to make it fun and safe to take the stairs, to facilitate access to delicious and healthy food, or to offer spaces that allow people to interact and build relationships? While financial success is critical in allowing us to continue our work, it is the flourishing of human experience that makes this work meaningful.

We design space that contributes.

We create and maintain beautiful places for people to live, work and play.  Our goal is for these places to act as community catalysts and to foster a sense of belonging.  We believe in the value of beauty, utility, and pleasure. When you choose to make something more beautiful, you give a gift to all those who come into contact with it. When you encourage interaction and seek to meet the needs of the community, you show your respect for their lives by offering something to enhance the pleasure inherent in their every day.