We Take a Different Approach
Wouldn’t it be nice to have confidence that your project will be done on time, on budget, and in a way that furthers your vision? We strive to give you that confidence… how?
In a word: COLLABORATION.
Collaboration is at the heart of what we do here at Shelden Architecture.
Here are some key principles that drive our collaborations:
- You and your project are the hub of the collaboration with the rest of the team rounding out the wheel.
- Early on in the planning process, we assemble a team that includes a contractor and other consultants which allows us to troubleshoot problems that might arise during construction. The result is a well-designed, well-run project that meets your objectives. The whole team helps you as you establish your priorities whether your “hot buttons” are schedule, energy efficiency, public image, flow and functionality, or any of a hundred others.
- We can deliver projects using the more traditional “Draw, Bid, Build” approach in which a contractor is selected late in the process after most of the big decisions have been made. But we believe the team approach builds the best solutions. Why? Because we understand that there is much to know about what we do and that no one is capable of being an expert of it all.
- We partner with collaborators who seek first to understand the whole and are willing to consider different approaches.
- Time spent on the front end of the process will pay dividends down the road for your schedule, your budget, and the overall quality of your project. Through collaborative planning in the initial phase of the project we can provide better cost control, reduce and almost eliminate change orders, create better quality control, and make the entire process more understandable because of open communication.
Celebrating 20 Years
We’re celebrating our 20th year and reflecting on the hundreds of spaces we’ve designed and the collaborations we’ve had with our clients.
In this video, Stan Shelden and George Laham of Laham Development chat about their long-standing relationship. Many of the Shelden/Laham projects started in the early days of the firm’s life.
Projects
Why Choose Us?
You do not need firm or complete answers at this point. Rather, these questions will help to ensure that your initial communications will be clear and productive and enable you to move forward in a way that best suits your needs.
- How will your project be used: Do you have specific ideas on how to translate these activities into spaces and square footage?
- Do you have a site? Or will this also be a subject of discussion with our team?
- Have you decided upon a schedule and budget?
- Do you have a builder or General Contractor in mind for the project? And how soon do we involve them in the process?
- What are your overall aspirations for the project – aesthetic and emotional as well as practical?
- Who will be making the critical decisions – you alone, business partners or stakeholders, or a broader committee of some sort?
- Where will the resources come from to create and operate your project?
- Do you have a banker and financing in place to move forward?
- Are you willing to pay a little extra up front on systems that will bring operational savings and payback over time? Or another way to ask this question might be: How important are “green” technologies and strategies to you?
- Do you have previous experience with design and construction? If so, in what ways were you successful, and was the experience in any way disappointing?
Our team will listen closely to your answers, help you solidify your goals and desires, and translate them into an effective building.
We understand that any building project can be overwhelming, and that you will have questions and concerns about the process; in fact you should. We are available and anxious to answer any questions you may have.
We believe ours is a service-driven profession in which we play an interpretive role, listening to our client’s needs, hopes and dreams, being inspired by them. Along with a selected builder (General Contractor) we translate, as design partners, our clients’ words to meet their architectural objectives.
Because of this, we commit ourselves to a set of values that benefit our clients and reminds each of us the pursue excellence:
- Make the Client’s project our project.
- Understand the Client’s intent.
- Respect the Client’s budget.
- Honor the Client’s trust.
- Dream the Client’s dream.
- Do work we all can be proud of.
- Accept our responsibility to the Client, the Company and the Community.
Testimonials
“I wanted customers to have a ‘wow’ impression from the moment they drove into the parking lot. I wanted them to feel something special when they stepped through the door, to be drawn in and explore the entire facility…Shelden Architecture articulated my vision and made it come to life.”
“SA is a dedicated, creative and determined firm, whose character and skill stand out among their peers.”
“As a Builder I have enjoyed working with the Shelden Team and appreciate their design skills, and I am equally impressed with their collaborative nature with the construction agenda.”