In the beginning God created the heaven and earth; the rest of the architecture he left up to man!

It is our belief that all great buildings and environments incorporate six major elements: Sense of Place; History; Clarity; Celebration; Humanity and Spirituality.

In an on-going pursuit to maximize excellence of design, we have been guided by the following set of design principles, which are essential components to quality design.

represents focus toward the importance of establishing a special and memorable "sense of place," responsive to a local environment which includes unique environmental, geographical, and urban issues.

Built form profoundly impacts its setting and surroundings, and we are committed to influencing and improving a context well beyond the project's finite building site. The physical setting for each project is made up of built and/or natural environment that establishes a basis for our response, and ultimately, our architectural solution. The conditions of the environment are extensively evaluated to help develop a plan focused toward the idea of the "collective energy of the place."

The relationships between the new and the existing are emphasized and the spatial composition that defines this relationship is given considerable importance.

is symbolized by our determined effort to establish relationships to our past, and no where is that past more glorified than in the Christian Bible! We have recognized that architecture is a rich tradition, and our projects are a constant reinforcement of our human culture. The language developed to express architectural form unavoidably and deliberately refers to our "memories" and associates with and acknowledges past cultures, places, events and even buildings. We have found that these associations can effectively help to establish emotional, comforting and even sentimental responses.

We have consciously avoided the concept of "original" or "innovation" purely for their own sake, and instead seek originality though the innovative reinterpretation of history presented in terms of today's structures. Any design effort focused on a new building must first consider the rich history and tradition of that specific building type.

While a fascinating variety of architectural precedents can be traced back in time, certain constants can be identified as qualities giving that building type the meaning it has today. Our design approach is to respect and reinforce those important traditions through Architecture conceived to promote the appropriate and essential characteristics of that building type. The bottom line is that the architecture should, in some way, tell a historical story.

is based on our philosophy that expression through architectural form should be founded on a conscious and definitive design strategy, addressing both the parts and the whole, and providing a reference and framework for decision making. A disciplined strategy establishes an ordering system which assembles the disparate parts to create opportunity for architectural expression.

Furthermore, our focus on organization and system clarity is based on the understanding and recognition that the complexity of current building technologies demand both a comprehensive and integrated approach.

The inherent programmatic complexity and scale of many of our projects demand that a rigorous conceptual strategy be established to order the programmatic elements, define systems of circulation, and inform the distribution of the many building systems.

An organizational model based on clearly defined zones will invariably enhance constructability, economy and flexibility, and will also help to designate simple and coherent patterns of building circulation. Bottom line: keep it simple.

is a design fundamental where special emphasis is applied to a creative interpretation of a specific element of the program in order to celebrate what has normally been perceived to mundane human activity. It is the result of reaching beyond merely understanding the essential ingredients of the program, the specific conditions of the site, and the unique relationships of the people who will use the building. Celebration in architecture is the poetic result of discovering the "magic which is hidden between the lines." It is the unleashing of the potential energy of the whole.

is the recognition of unique human perspectives in architecture, and is a major design principle guiding our work. Humanity as a design element results from our ongoing analysis of human response to our physical environment to determine "what stirs the soul." We are convinced that the quality of our surroundings affects our state

of being, our outlook, and our performance. A grasp of what elements of architecture "inspire and delight", and conversely, what elements "discourage and disturb", equip us with the tools to create a meaningful and descriptive architectural language.

The great majority of the congregation are far more affected by the interior spatial organization, way finding, and ambiance than they are the exterior of the building. In many church facilities, architecture is in fact theater.

In designing facilities we place ourselves in the members' shoes and visualize walking through all aspects of the church from the entry foyer to the sanctuary, to the classrooms and the public gathering areas. We call this concept "designing from the inside out", and is the primary reason why Jon Moore is licensed as both an interior designer and an architect. We strive to design spaces with human love and enjoyment in mind.

is the sense of connection that forms a central defining characteristic, a connection to something "greater" than oneself, which includes an emotional experience of religious awe and reverence. Equally important, spirituality relates to matters of sanity and of psychological health.

Spirituality forms an essential part of an individual's holistic health and well-being, manifesting improvements in the physical reality around oneself as awareness of a connection with self, others, and God increases and results in an inward change.

Spirituality in architecture, therefore, conceptually reinforces this sense of connection, health and well being through the use of color, light and spatial design of the built environment.