The silent brief part IV: delivering international projects with a local approach - a grounded heart adventure
For the past 10 years our London based studio has endeavoured to create a research-based approach to adaptive reuse of projects within our general vicinity. Creating a positive impact to our local environment by understanding how places have developed, how they were built and how they function is important to us. We advocate for inclusive change to our community through research on sustainability, educational outreach with schools, and engaging in walking tours and co-design explorations of adjacent Victorian estates, open spaces and rail infrastructure.
Feeding into our work at daab is a hidden lived experience from our past work with previous practices in various cities delivering projects in France, Germany, Switzerland, and the US. Not to mention our studies in Italy, extensive travelling and living in different cultures and absorbing different regional nuances.
When a Client seeks how we might approach a project abroad we naturally assume the role of a displaced local. Our past experience within different cultures enables us to look locally at each new site while remaining based in London. This working methodology suits us and is gaining greater presence within our practice.
What constitutes looking locally? How does one absorb local issues of a site from afar and ensure they are integrated in a project? We feel it relies on three key drivers.
First, a healthy curiosity towards the project location is required. This is our seed for design inspiration. Once we dive into the social geography of a place, its history, resources, local traditions, arts and craft, myth, and legends, etc. it becomes impossible for us to remain indifferent and this growing love is the catalyst for the creative process. One source where our curiously is fed is through the local public libraries which act as our base camp for information.
Next, we rely on our feet being firmly grounded in location customs, uses, and limitations. Finding a local partner is both exciting and rewarding in that it creates tangible exchanges which often lead to years of continued collaboration and shared experiences. Remaining grounded with all things local requires trust and the openness to develop sincere co-leadership.
Finally, the courage to embrace the unknown and venture into paths not yet taken in terms of site conditions, materials, and local artisanal crafts. It is important to abandon preconceived ideas on stylistic approaches to a project requires a leap of faith to tap into one’s past training, skills and lived experiences. For projects either local to daab, or international, the intuitive design process informed by our diverse experiences remains virtually the same and acts as our greatest strength.
