Much of the work of the practice is based on public use, as either a dominant or secondary aspect of each project. The civic nature of architecture is explored through buildings with a significant public use, or with a positive relationship to the public domain of the city. Even commissions with a brief related to the individual are considered in the wider context of the urban realm and the environment.

 

Cultural buildings have been one focus of the practice since 1990. Projects range from significant performing and visual art multi-use centres incorporating high-quality galleries for permanent and temporary exhibition, museums of many kinds, performing art venues from traditional proscenium-stage theatres to large-scale flexible experimental venues, cinemas and educational facilities. Each progresses the nature of performance and display, the conservation of the object and the facilitation of production. Each celebrates the human delight in the collective and individual experience of excellence, challenging but welcoming.