VMDO Architects

As a teaching practice focused on design quality, we have an unwavering commitment to architecture as a craft. For us, this means not only developing beautiful detailing, but also delivering buildings and campuses that can be easily maintained by their owners, that fluidly adapt to ever-changing needs and desires, and that grow more beautiful over time. It means investing in the quality of our documentation and the lasting relationships with the people that build and run our buildings. It includes the care with which we steward project budgets, community investment, and stakeholder engagement. Our commitment to craft means we are constantly looking to expand our knowledge about how to make our buildings better and sharing those lessons both within and outside the firm.

In our work for educational institutions and municipalities, we work to elevate design standards through durable, modern materials; partis and programs that support flexible, multi-disciplinary use; and landscapes that expose local environmental features for study and enjoyment. We believe architectural details, from the scale of the park bench to the landscape, should reinforce a common design language that is sensible in application and beautiful in expression. Hierarchy and order should help situate students and community members at the center of a place – where their purpose as stewards of their campus and communities finds resonance with broader environmental and social contexts.

Architectural projects are becoming more complex as advances in technology allow for more integrated coordination and delivery. This translates into seamless handoffs, creative solutions, and maximized value into terms of more efficient and vetted solutions. Participation by construction managers and subcontractors during the design process is increasingly the rule and not the exception. VMDO has experience with all types of delivery methods, including design-build delivery, integrated project delivery, CM-at-Risk, CM Agency, and design-build-bid. A commitment to quality documentation and scrupulous construction administration ensures that those details necessary to improve connection, health and wellness, and place-making achieve the design’s interdisciplinary intent.