Our philosophy is that building form and performance shall be derived from a comprehensive understanding of the primary function, the requirements of the users, staff & client, budgetary constraints, relevant guidelines, environmentally sustainable design (ESD) principals and the geographic, demographic & architectural context. Our planning and design principals revolve around the following principals:

• consideration of practical use,
• healthy and safe occupation,
• future expansion and adaptation,
• warmth and comfort,
• appropriate use of space, light and texture,
• a connection with the natural environment, and
• simplifying the use of materials.

Our approach to Environmental Sustainable Design

Since hartdesign's inception, many of the basic principals of ESD have been firmly ingrained in its philosophy and approach. These include:

• energy efficiency
• passive solar design
• design for function primarily
• using durable low maintenance materials and design principals
• efficient planning, design and detail to increase resource and cost efficiency

Hartdesign is working on incorporating more advanced ESD principals into its overall philosophy and approach. A significant portion of time and resource has been committed to research and professional development into creating a more sustainable way of construction. Considerations include:

• increasing resource efficiency
• minimising impacts on biodiversity
• recovering, re-using & recycling materials, and minimising use of non-renewable resources
• the use of non-toxic & low-allergenic materials
• life cycle analysis of all materials and products
• development of waste minimisation specifications