ART AND TECHNOLOGY
Architecture is a unique practice because not only is it an artistic expression, but it also serves a fundamental function in our lives. At Serena Sturm Architects, Ltd. we pride ourselves in embracing both the opportunity for artistic expression and the need to meet our most basic necessities of shelter and comfort.

The artistic side of our craft is about creating inspiration. It is about approaching every situation as a unique problem with its own set of goals, constraints and functional relationships. Understanding those conditions requires working with our clients to understand their needs and desires. Truly exceptional solutions are not derived from preconceived ideas
or historical precedent, but rather born through the creative process of addressing the Client's programmatic and functional needs. It is a vision of bringing together all the elements of a project, where the ideal solution is larger than the individual parts. Yet no solution is complete without a detailed understanding of how a building meets our most basic requirements of shelter and comfort, as well as our desire for a healthy environment to enhance our lives.

To this end, we need fundamentally sound solutions that are unique to each individual project. It begins with understanding the detail of wall performance, from vapor transmission and condensation to thermal transfer and air infiltration. It does not end until daylight and clean indoor air create places that help us thrive rather than enclosures that isolate us. We know that we cannot just “build the way we used to” because conditioning systems and building envelopes have changed building performance. We also understand that the ethic to design buildings that last has often given way to other priorities and the attrition of habit. Our mission statement reminds us that this should not be the case - our buildings are and should be “sustainable for the next generation.”

ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN
Architectural and environmental issues have always been intertwined. As our society faces limits to our natural resources, the time has come for buildings to be re-calibrated and designed to acknowledge and respect those limits. The results should be, among other things, buildings that collaborate with nature in both their construction and their long-term operation - to effectively use energy and resources. While many firms incorporate some efficient design features into building construction, our firm has focused its energy on
integrating the design of sustainable systems into every facet of the decision-making process. In this approach, features from one system are not considered and resolved in isolation, but are understood as a complex web of interdependent parts. By integrating them early in the design process, complementary relationships are realized, potentially resulting in exponential gains in functionality, comfort and energy efficiency. This holistic approach to integrated building design helps capture the synergies that can truly maximize building performance in the most economical means available. The overall result is a building where all systems work in harmony with one another and thereby prove that more can be accomplished with less. Serena Sturm Architects, Ltd. is committed to sustainable design as a fundamental tenet of our architectural practice. Our goal in building design evolves around simple roots - creating buildings that are beautiful, comfortable, healthy, energy and resource effi cient, functional and long lived. In doing so, our buildings will promote both the well being of their occupants and the earth.