sDC is comprised of individuals who are innately curious, imaginative, and ambitious. Mostly, we are a group who enjoy life, believe in the value of great design, and know our efforts as designers contribute to life’s enjoyment potential. If you stop by our studio on a given day, there’s a strong chance you’ll find us engaged in the enjoyment of our work and each other. Now, if you landed here seeking a deeper, more heady description of our beliefs, read on…

NATURE
Design reveals nature - nature reveals design. By bracketing nature, architecture choreographs our experiences. While buildings provide protection from nature, architecture simultaneously keeps us in tune with her.

TOLERANCE
Human labor holds greater value than that of any material. This intrinsic value is readily apparent if a material is labored with precision relative to its natural tolerances. As designers, it is our duty to understand the tolerance of the materials we choose. Only then can we expect a high precision of labor.

HAPTIC
The thermal aesthetic is introduced by the combination of temperature and humidity/aridity. Touching wood is considerably different than touching metal simply because of the different rate each material steals the heat from our bodies. This sensitivity affects our overall perception of space because we begin to imagine how different materials may feel even without physically touching them.

WONDER
Great design moves beyond the project function and feeds the user’s least-felt needs. It opens our eyes to every-day objects and experiences we otherwise would not care to notice.

DETAILS
Design speaks with its details, revealing its soul through its connection to the earth, the air, itself and ultimately the user. The moment a design’s detail is realized, its entire inner fabric and reason for being is rendered obvious.

MOTION
Architecture is dynamic. While buildings are static, architecture moves. Design methods must be in tune with this inherent motion in architecture and we must visualize our ideas in motion.

LIFE
Architecture is dead when it is limited to its use. Once a building provides us only with accommodation it has been reduced to shelter.

ANESTHESIA
The saturation of any singular human sense only dulls the overall experience. Nothing is more void of life than that which appears to be fixed in time. The vast diversity of our surroundings is revealed when a design’s susceptibility to aging is expressed.

VOICE
Studiotrope believes in great trust. A mutual trust between designers, clients, contractors and the project’s potential – its voice.