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Architecture & Design

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Design Approach

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We drive hands-on innovation, exploring the intersection of design, materiality, craft, and technology to transform the built environment

Fostering a Design Focused Culture

Our teams are empowered to explore, experiment, and stay ahead of industry trends. By embracing new software, workflows, and practices, we adapt in real time to maintain a culture of innovation and high-quality design. Peer-to-peer learning thrives through studio-wide initiatives, design workshops, and collaborative sessions, ensuring every team member grows alongside the work. This collective mindset elevates each project, pushing us to deliver design excellence through shared expertise and evolving practices.

OUx Research and Design Strategy

We like to get our Hands Dirty

Models and mock-ups are the backbone of our hands-on design process. With an in-house model shop and advanced 3D printing capabilities, we bring ideas to life at every stage of design. These tools allow us to explore spatial relationships, refine details, and communicate concepts effectively—both within the team and to our clients. Tangible models reveal insights into scale, proportion, and spatial dynamics like nothing else can.
Mock-ups play a critical role from design to construction, ensuring precision and clarity. Full-scale prototypes of key components, from façades to interiors, help test materials, refine finishes, and perfect construction techniques. These physical explorations foster collaboration with contractors and clients, providing real-world validation for design decisions.

Harnessing the Power of Digital Innovation

Embracing the latest technologies, we seamlessly integrate advanced platforms like Rhino and Grasshopper for parametric modeling and Revit for comprehensive project coordination. Generative design tools driven by AI push the boundaries of what’s possible, optimizing building performance while exploring complex geometries. Immersive virtual environments created through real-time rendering enable us to communicate ideas with clarity and collaborate seamlessly with clients and consultants. This tech-forward approach ensures our work process is informed by the cutting edge of digital design innovation.

Crafting a Dynamic Facade

We approached 727 Grand, a downtown Los Angeles data center, with the goal of crafting a visually impactful landmark. Given the building’s almost entirely windowless design, the dynamic façade became its defining feature. Pushing the boundaries of data center design, the team envisioned a building that embodies a sense of energy, visually transforming throughout the day and year.

Utilizing digital modeling in Rhino and Grasshopper, the team devised a system of angled panels that articulate the building’s skin. 3D printing was used extensively. Small-scale models studied the building’s context, mid-size models tested light and shadow, and a large-scale mock-up with 28 printed panels was assembled for thorough testing. To counter the high energy consumption of data centers, the façade was modeled to provide passive shading and cooling, reducing the reliance on artificial cooling for the servers. The result is a dynamic façade characterized by light, shadow, reflectivity, and form interplay.

727 Grand

Exploring Materiality and Impact

Emblematic of our hands-on approach is Heartburst. Imagined for Burning Man Animalia (2023), the art spectacular playfully harnesses the healing power of light and sound through a bamboo structure framing view of the vast desert landscape. The structure was envisioned working with a leader in socially conscious, sustainable bamboo applications from Malaysia. The project offered OU employees of all disciplines the chance to contribute, testing ideas of materiality, permanence and impact through the design, modelling, and construction stages, leveraging strong partnerships within the AEC industry.

Prior to build-week, the team constructed 70 components including 58 prefabricated panels in the OU parking lot over four days. The full structure was then erected over the entire build-week, where all who wanted were invited to join the camp for the build and festival. The structure was later reconfigured for a gallery exhibition which has led to further iterations for clients, and new material exploration.

Heartburst