Respecting the Site & Co-design
by Margie
The team at Edmiston Jones GBB take a carefully considered approach to design, working with our clients to interrogate the brief
and, quite separately, thoroughly investigate the proposed site.
Our position is that the land on which the project is to be developed should be respected independently of what our clients plan to impose on the property. The site has a history prior to the current use and a future that will continue beyond the proposed activities.
Characteristics such as the topography, microclimate, views and impact on neighbouring properties are researched and documented. This process benefits from the owner’s experience and also the fresh perspective brought by Edmiston Jones GBB's architects.
Our briefing process relies heavily on collaboration and conversations that elicit our client’s fundamental needs as well as their aspirations. Various graphic devices and
tools are used to capture the activities to be accommodated on the property recognizing that external areas can be as important as the internal spaces. Schedules, graphs to show how spaces need to interrelate and bubble diagrams are used to document the competing and complementary demands of the various activities.
[gallery ids="2681,2683,2682"]
Prior to floor layouts being prepared we ask the question “will it fit?”. Our recent blog outlined examples of how this process can have some surprising outcomes. Using ‘bubble diagrams’ we check whether the summation of the spaces required will fit within the constraints of the
site and be affordable in terms of the project budget.
A Master Plan may be prepared consolidating the information gathered in the briefing process into a site layout that responds to the opportunities and constraints presented by the property.
Staging the development is also a strategy when the long- term requirements exceed the current financial capacity.
Our briefing process relies heavily on collaboration and conversations that elicit our client’s fundamental needs as well as their aspirations. Various graphic devices and
tools are used to capture the activities to be accommodated on the property recognizing that external areas can be as important as the internal spaces. Schedules, graphs to show how spaces need to interrelate and bubble diagrams are used to document the competing and complementary demands of the various activities.
[gallery ids="2681,2683,2682"]
Prior to floor layouts being prepared we ask the question “will it fit?”. Our recent blog outlined examples of how this process can have some surprising outcomes. Using ‘bubble diagrams’ we check whether the summation of the spaces required will fit within the constraints of the
site and be affordable in terms of the project budget.
A Master Plan may be prepared consolidating the information gathered in the briefing process into a site layout that responds to the opportunities and constraints presented by the property.
Staging the development is also a strategy when the long- term requirements exceed the current financial capacity. 
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