Architectural production involves input from an increasingly large team throughout the design and build phases, each individual contributing their unique experience and intelligence. Architecture is the result of this interaction between a wide variety of stakeholders, rendering each project rich and unique.

The notion of collective intelligence has been at the heart of our corporate culture since the practice was founded. It is the main vector for value creation. An integrated team approach, however, can only be fully effective if it expresses a deeper sense of engagement. Our responsibility as designers is to craft living environments conducive to individual, collective and ecological development. We are technicians who must master the art of building, but above all, we are humanists and environmentalists who care deeply about what we leave as a legacy to future generations. We all share this collective responsibility. Every line we draw, every word we write, the actions we take, the decisions we make – every gesture will affect the common good and alter the balance of life on our planet. Within this context we must nurture our long-standing commitment to sustainable development and manifest our “duty to innovate”. Innovation is about doing otherwise in the search of doing better. It is to question and sublimate reality. It is to explore the field of possibilities and open the door to evolution. Innovation is inseparable from progress and paves the way for evolution.

This pamphlet is the first in a collection to be published in celebration of our 30th anniversary. Each pamphlet will illustrate and articulate the research and application of a singular school of thought, each exploration an expression of our expertise and commitment. This one is dedicated to our work in the field of timber construction, a story which has become an emblematic message: architecture has a fundamental role to play – ecological, economic, social and cultural – in shaping our collective footprint.