Vision

DIAP is working to build sustainable communities in the Bay Area and around the world. DIAP has been designing cutting-edge mixed-use structures since 1982, with the goal of building for people, not for cars. As contextual architects, town planners, urban designers and strategic regional planners, DIAP members specialize in "one of a kind, site specific designs". We listen to the clients and study and learn from the surrounding natural and built environment, history and culture. Under an intense global exposure, some 20 years ago, our Strategic Design Matrix (SDM) was born and has begun to evolve. Nowadays, all of our designs are created and developed along the lines of this set of concepts and principles. As architects, respectful of the surrounding environment, all of our projects have had strong sustainable and green characteristics, starting some 40 years ago. DIAP's vision is linked to its sustainable design philosophy, which has been perfected over the last 40 years and is based on European education, Silicon Valley innovative thinking, and local vernaculars. In addition, we have studied, researched, learned and then nurtured new generations of architects in this extremely important field.

We believe that good design is rooted in the surrounding nature and culture, solves problems in an intelligent manner, and helps create sustainable buildings for the future. Generally, design is a mixture of science (33%), art (33%), spirit (33%), and serendipity (1%). The artistic and science elements are more self explanatory than the others. The spirit component means embodying the social life, culture and history of the site, and looking at why things are the way they are. Serendipity is what we like to refer to as the luck component of design. There are some project elements that happen to be designed due to luck, and without this component, some of our designs would not have come to life.

Key elements: Design...

    • with respect for the land, the environment, the history and the culture;
    • 24/7 mixed-use projects for minimum 100 year;
    • flexible, efficient, economical and reusable structures;
    • for people and nature, not for cars;
    • with quality, proven materials and techniques;
    • along the concepts and principles outlined in the Strategic Design Matrix.