Philosophy

Timeless Architecture. Sustainability. Contextualism. The essence of our client-driven approach to every project is built upon these three tenets of RSA’s design philosophy.

Timeless Architecture

First, we believe in planning, designing and constructing buildings that last and are timeless in their design. We believe it is possible to create landmark buildings that are both classical and progressive, modest and innovative, historic and contemporary. Our work is not distinctly traditional, nor is it distinctly modern. At RSA, we design projects with the intent that they transcend any specific period or label.

Sustainability

Second, we believe timelessness goes hand-in-hand with sustainability. Because we design with present and future generations in mind in all that we do, sustainability is implicit in our firm’s guiding principles and is critical to our approach to every project before, during and after construction. It does no good for a project to stand the test of time if it does so at the expense of the health of its inhabitants and the planet.

Contextualism

Lastly, among our highest aspirations as a firm is to respect not only the environmental context of a site, but to respect its architectural context as well. While there may be many iconic buildings in existence that were designed with utter disregard for their setting, we believe architecture should respect its immediate surroundings and that it can do so without appearing to be “stuck in the past.” We strive for an architecture that, whether subtly or boldly claiming its own space, does so without disrupting the architectural fabric of the community or campus.