I genuinely enjoy the seasons. After a long, cold midwest winter the time spent outdoors seems more savory, more appreciated. As spring rolls in and green begins to replace brown and white, we start to break ground on new projects. But long before the excavators arrive on site, we spend a lot of time carefully siting our designs. We do this through an in depth process of exploration and understanding of the external and internal influences of each site. External influences include access, topography, vegetation, solar orientation, and prevailing winds. Equally important are the project’s internal goals: spaces, adjacencies, sequences, as well as desired views and vistas. Once gathered and diagrammed, We overlay these influences, and the patterns that are revealed speak to us and guide our design decisions. Too often the site is taken for granted. For us, it is such an important part of this process, and critical to the successful outcome of every project.