The newly renovated Archdiocesan Pastoral Services office encompasses the entire 10,000 SF Ninth Floor of the Central Offices in downtown Cincinnati. A 1910 open plan, concrete column and steel frame building offered a clean floorplate to build a community friendly, naturally lit, sustainably designed office. Using our interview and online survey process, we heard that a welcoming, comfortable, simple space was preferred. We designed that place. A space where it felt more like “home” than like “work". A space where professional and collaborative opportunities were encouraged. A space where a modern look gave rise to new attitudes. And a space where new and existing relationships are more easily formed and nurtured with clients, colleagues and collaborators.

"Of all our national assets, Archives are the most precious; they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilization." Arthur Dougherty, Dominion Archivist 1904-1935

If nothing else is said of the diverse collection of items in the Archdiocesan Archives, it is that their preservation for future generations is the most important aspect of this endeavor. The documents, papers, art, vestments, books, and drawings are still with us, telling their stories now and for well into the future. It was our mission to create an appropriate and useful space for the Archdiocesan Archives, providing the artistic frame and the practical protection to this priceless collection.

Bethlehem Farm Caretaker Residence is the community home for the year round missionary families and summer volunteers. The Catholic Mission Farm reaches into the surrounding Appalachian community providing home repair, offering sustainable education and volunteering for the local food bank. The 12 suite community home is a study in privacy and simple living. This project is designed with a greenhouse, radiant floor heating, passive cooling, SIP panel construction, composting toilets and a 20,000 gallon rain harvest reservoir for the garden and orchard.

We are best known for our retail outlet store design and implementation. Our most recent project is the new Haggar Men's Outlet Store, originally designed as a prototype for the Canadian market. It was met with so much buzz that the design prototype soon included the US market. Using natural materials and a sensitivity to the male shopping experience, this store is visually stunning as well as financially successful.

We are best known for our retail outlet store design and implementation. When Gildan/Gold Toe Outlets asked us to create a whole new store for them, we immediately imagined everyone's sock drawer. From that simple image, we were inspired to create the super-organized format that came into being. Every sock in its place. And, heaven forbid, no lost left socks. We even used the dresser above as the inspiration for our feature sock fixture at the store entry. This prototype store in Minnesota is now rolling out across the US.

St Teresa Parish embarked on their Campus Master Plan to determine the viability and desire for a new church. What their journey led them to was a new-found community spirit. See the result of our efforts together below.

 Guiding a Parish or Non-Profit organization to a new vision of their future is very exhilarating and a deeply moving experience. Our creative and engaging master planning process seeks to hear all the voices of the stakeholders in the community. Combining modern tools like e-modeling and online surveys with traditional town hall meetings and facility assessments ensuring a complete analysis and a co-authored solution.    

St Susanna needed a larger, accessible media center/library and computer lab to complete the technology updates at the Parish school. We were asked to convert the subterranean existing cafeteria into a modern learning center. Using a simple material palette, with a slightly askew wood wrapped center service core, we created this dynamic space for less than $60/SF. Now that's an economics lesson for everyone.  

Our Lady of Lavang Catholic Community resides in Elmwood Place, an island city in urban Cincinnati, and are active and growing in their current historic church building. We were asked to help them expand their current rectory.  In response to the 100 year old brick Victorian, we created design that bookends the existing bay and adds a simple glass connector. Our design met the modest budget. Inside and out simple, durable materials and clean lines makes this project nearly unnoticed in this residential neighborhood. 

It has been one of our goals for a very long time, to enter into residential renovation. We finally stepped out in 2015 to buy, renovate and sell our own properties. This small cottage in Yellow Springs is our first attempt. It was in rough shape when we bought it. However the transformation speaks for itself. We had a lot of fun, and discovered a new way to make a change. This project combines affordable housing with sustainable design/construction. This house improves the housing stock without filling the landfill. We simply love it.