THE DESIGN GROUP

About Us

THE DESIGN GROUP is a multi-disciplinary planning and design office as a long standing association of JSD, Inc. and EDGCOMB DESIGN, Inc. Based out of a converted farmhouse in the Green Mountains of Vermont, we are continually reminded of the importance that the land and climate play in our lives. Since 1983, The Design Group has completed a wide range of commercial, institutional, planning and residential projects. Our approach emphasizes sustainable, innovative, and integrated design within established traditions with a fresh look at each and every project. Our highest priorities are client satisfaction and sensitivity towards the natural and constructed environment.

The Design Group has received recognition for design excellence while maintaining a reputation for efficiency. We operate as a team with you and work closely with associated professionals who bring their particular experience to our projects. We work well with boards, committees, and complex client stakeholder groups. From pre-design through construction, we strive to ensure quality execution of all our designs.

OUR PHILOSOPHY

Site.
Each place has a spirit and character which must be related to and cultivated in a positive manner. Our emphasis is on sensitivity to context, and whether it be a remote wooded glen or an urban site, planning is a careful process of fitting buildings in a natural way to their setting. As buildings engage the landscape, there is often much concern for outdoor spaces and their environmental qualities. Sun, vegetation, wind, and wildlife are considered, as well as access, parking, zoning regulations and design guidelines.

Building.
We make an effort to design buildings that are rich in character, environmentally sustainable, enrich their setting, relate to the spirit of the place, and take the fullest advantage of the site’s amenities. Our philosophy is to build efficient and interesting structures which are useful, comfortable, light, and airy. A very high priority is energy conservation with a tendency towards simple and economical means such as buffering, zoning, insulating, solar heating, daylighting, shading, and natural ventilation. Building materials are considered for their environmental impacts and are often durable, natural, and designed to age gracefully.

Process.
We believe the most successful projects reflect a strong partnership with our clients. The exchange of ideas forms the most inventive design solutions. We ask: what are your values, goals, parameters, dreams, and realities? What is your life like? What drives your business? Whether designing an urban park, an office building, a home, or a piece of furniture, our design process and the principles we apply are similar. Schematic alternatives are proposed and reviewed, designs developed, and details refined. We encourage the use of models and perspectives to study the character of buildings and anticipate the experience of the real building. We bring your visions together with our resources and experience to realize a project that has a spirit of its own.