Our design process is undertaken in a consultative manner, which allows the client and where appropriate other end-users to have input at all stages of the process. For example, client consultation in our Cyferkull project in the Northwest Province of South Africa took place through a locally constituted committee of future users. Through effective consultation processes with this committee, the design brief was able to incorporate substantial inputs from the Committee, which was reflected in the final brief.

We also emphasise the need to design solutions that both reflect and respect the landscape and environmental considerations. We aim to use local materials where possible: for example, a residential project in Nairobi used roof tiles made by women from a nearby informal settlement. Local stone was also used for walling material. This was cut to size on-site and generated a significant number of jobs for local people and also contributed to local skills development.