“To design and build an ideal workplace or country home, you have to tap into your dreams, and use your heart, not just your mind,” say Brian Lee and Marilyn Lake, the creators of a special architectural process called The Ideal Environment™.
“Many Architects focus on style, function, and rational analysis,” Brian says, “They can often create a seemingly spectacular building or office space, and win design awards, but the environment sometimes ends up being inappropriate and unlivable, or make the inhabitants feel unhappy, unfulfilled and unmotivated.
That’s why we take a different approach. We strive to create environments that make people happy, above all else, and touch them deeply on an emotional, spiritual, and visceral level. Our goal is to build homes and offices that reflect our clients’ values, and express the true purpose of their lives, and their work.”
“That’s why we spend so much time with clients before we start designing their home or office space,” Marilyn says. “We want to get inside their world, and discover what’s really in their hearts and minds. We help them express their deepest feelings, emotions, and desires. We want them to envision and communicate their ideal environment.”
Brian and Marilyn, partners in life and business, created The Ideal Environment™ based on two decades of experience working with hundreds of clients, for both residential and office space projects.
“From this background, we developed a process that gives people what they really want,” Brian says. “It ensures that they are very happy with their new place. It gives them the opportunity to think deeply about what they really want, and keeps them focused on their vision during the entire design and construction process. It also helps them avoid what they really fear: that the architect won’t listen to them, and they will end up with a house or office that they don’t like.”
Brian and Marilyn take a similar approach to the design of offices, and commercial workplaces.
“We are not interested in looking at an organizational chart of a company when we design their space,” Brian says. “Instead, we conduct, what we call, The Relationship Inventory™. We want to know who talks to whom and how people in the office relate to each other. Then we do the same thing for their teams. This gives us a much better sense of how the workspace should be designed, in order to facilitate team work, and enhance creativity and innovation.”
If the facility involves large groups of people or the public, we assist the client in writing The Client Experience Scenarios™ which describe in detail the different events possible and how people would feel during and after the activity. This helps us to design a facility that not only works functionally but creates the desired atmosphere and feeling.
“We also use a great technique we call The No-Building Plan™,” Brian adds. “Instead of working around the limitations of the existing or proposed space, we start by designing a workspace as if there were no building at all. This method opens up our creativity, and helps the client articulate what they really want, without being hobbled by certain self-imposed limitations. Once again, this process is very empowering.” The end results? Brian and Marilyn say their greatest reward comes when their clients say: “We are so happy here. This is exactly what we wanted: maybe even better. The process was great. It really works.”
To illustrate the power of The Ideal Environment™, Brian and Marilyn talk about their recent meeting space design project for Alias, a major software company in downtown Toronto.
“The Alias project combined all of our skills,” Brian says. “We started by getting the client to tell us what they really wanted. They described how they were going to work in the space—for both large and small meetings with prospects and clients, along with creative working sessions with various sizes of teams. They also wanted to incorporate all of the electronic tools created by their company so they could be showcased.”
“We got them to describe all of the different events they envisioned,” Marilyn adds. “Who would use it? What results would they like to achieve in the space? And how would they like to feel in the space? We also used The No-Building Plan™ to help everyone think as creatively as possible. The first solutions had six different meeting types each with its own floor plan.”
“Ultimately, we came up with something that had never been created before,” Brian says. “We created a meeting and presentation space with movable walls that could be configured in dozens of different ways. It can be used for groups of twelve or for a presentation to 120 people. The furniture also appeals to both 19-year-old software designers, and 50-year-old corporate executives.”
“The Alias project truly illustrates the effectiveness of The Ideal Environment™ process,” Marilyn adds. “By taking the time to think through all of the options, and by focusing on feelings and relationships, we were able to arrive at a space that is very human and tactile even though there is a lot of technology. It meets their needs, and makes them feel great. And most important, because of its flexible, multi-purpose design, it will contribute significantly to the success of the meetings held in the space.”
For another project, Brian and Marilyn used The Ideal Environment™ to help BHH, a St. Catharines financial service company, to analyze their move to a new office.
“For BHH, we used The Relationship Inventory System™, and The No-Office Plan™ to help them develop a strategic plan to find the right space. We started by interviewing the employees, and then developed a floor plan that would make everyone happy and productive. We designed the floor plan for optimal performance, without a specific location in mind. At that stage, it was much easier to look for the right space using a commercial real estate broker.”
“The value of this approach cannot be over-stated,” Marilyn says. “Not only will you end up in an environment that makes you happy, and project the right image, you will also optimize your costs. For example, you might think you need 5,000 square feet, and then discover that you only need 4,000 square feet. That discovery will save you a lot of money. As well, this kind of planning also helps you negotiate more effectively with your landlord for leasehold improvements, and future expansion space.”
The Ideal Workplace™ concepts were used to develop an ongoing design for a rapidly expanding and successful Coaching and Training facility, The Strategic Coach, based in Toronto and Chicago. http://www.strategiccoach.com
“The results have been fabulous,” says Lake. “Although there is not a lot of natural light, and the building is located in a former industrial building, once customers enter the clinic, they are completely transported. We brought together a relaxing and inspiring combination of light, sounds and flowing water that instantly contribute to the client’s learning process. We put in a water wall that generates invigorating negative ions and takes the dead feel out of the air. The floors are made of beautiful slate, and curved corridors are lined with wood. The Workshop rooms feature custom designed daylight-type indirect light fixtures that eliminate glare and visual stress, and create a natural and invigorating atmosphere conducive to learning.”
“By appealing to all of the senses, and creating an ambience with a relaxed focus, we feel this environment affects people on a deep, visceral level. It puts them in a good frame of mind for their coaching session, and speeds up their learning and creative processes. It also helps with the marketing of the Strategic Coach facility, because it is part of their packaging image as a unique and forward thinking company, and there is nothing like it anywhere.”
For both country homes, and office design projects, Brian and Marilyn say everyone at their company are driven to put the art back into the architectural process.
“You can’t honor people’s emotions and feelings by simply pulling together a purely functional design on a computer design program. This is a personal and creative process that is an experience in itself. We don’t believe an Architect should just work with their head and their hands, they also have to work with their heart,” Lee says.
“This philosophy is shared by everyone who works with our company. We have built a team with shared values, and a common vision. We all believe in the importance of feelings and relationships in the Architectural process. For example, Natasha Krickhan, one of our intern Architects, is not only highly talented, she shares the same compatible philosophy and vision. She demonstrates how The Ideal Environment™ enables us to deliver a consistent process using a team of Architects.”
Brian and Marilyn also stress that The Ideal Environment™ helps clients make much better decisions because they are based on a strong strategic plan that is constantly reviewed.
“As we work through the process, we are always checking in with the client about their image and emotional inventory. In this way, they feel very solid about every decision they make, and not worried about doing something they will regret later. By the time we get to the end of the process, the client feels totally satisfied because they’ve been in control, and have made all the right decisions at the right time.”
In addition to their role as an Architect, Brian and Marilyn also have experience as land developers.
“We specialize in optimizing the value of property that other developers have passed by. We are really good at seeing the potential of a property, even if it has a strange shape or odd location.”
Brian adds that their experience as developers gives them even greater insight and compassion for their architecture clients.
“By developing our own land, we know what it is like to be a client. We have walked in their shoes, and we’ve learned the value of time and money. We know what it’s like to build a home, because we’ve done it ourselves many times. It has really helped us improve The Ideal Environment™ process.”
Both Brian and Marilyn feel their many years of experience, wearing several different hats, have given them a unique perspective on Architecture. “Both Brian and I had turning points in our career that transformed our attitudes,” Marilyn says.
“In my case, I think the turning point happened when I applied for Architecture school at Carlton in Ottawa. There were only 60 spots available for 1,000 applicants. When the interviewer asked me why I wanted to be an Architect, I said: ‘‘because I think I know how to design buildings that make people feel good.’’ I was accepted, and I’ve carried that idea as my mission ever since.” “In my case,” Brian says, “my turning point came when I was laid off from a large corporate Architectural firm. I decided then and there that I would start my own firm, and run it with creative teamwork, not an autocratic enterprise. I was also determined to bring my philosophy and intellectual interests into the architectural process. I made it my goal to focus on people’s feelings and emotions, and solve their difficult design problems. That’s why we created The Ideal Environment™.”
Looking forward to the future, Brian and Marilyn plan to continually refine The Ideal Environment™, develop new ideas and processes that will help their clients, and continue to build a team of like-minded professionals.
“We love our work, and we love working with our clients. It is a process of growth and self-discovery for everyone involved. We intend to help as many people as possible create, and build, their ideal environment.”
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