substance is a collaborative design practice established in Des Moines, Iowa in 2001. The firm brings together the talent and expertise of some of the region’s most recognized design professionals engaged in the disciplines of Architecture, Interior Architecture, Master Planning and Design.
substance has a staff of fourteen seasoned professionals and can assemble and lead a diverse consultant team tailored to the demands of any project. As our name implies, we are committed to enduring architectural values rather than ephemeral notions of style. We are passionate about architecture and are committed to advancing the discipline in service to our clients.
substance is a team. We work together and draw upon the collective knowledge of everyone in our studio. This studio includes practitioners with over three decades of experience working side-by-side and in concert with recent architectural graduates and interns. The results are innovative design ideas tempered by experience and time tested techniques. Our team is augmented by respected consultants offering specific additional expertise. Moreover, our team always includes our clients as engaged, active participants.
substance takes pride in our commitment to collaboration – we listen. We listen to our clients and work with them to determine both their project’s functional needs and to discover their emotional aspirations and desires. In turn, we listen to our consultants and integrate their expertise to guide a design process which best meets our client’s requirements. This collaborative, communication-rich approach effectively addresses the needs of projects and project teams of all scales and has resulted in a broad portfolio of effective building solutions ranging from a $20 million urban park to a $20,000 interior intervention and a wide range of project types in between.
substance is defined as “the real or essential part of anything, essence, reality, or basic matter”. We are committed to searching collaboratively for the essence of our client’s architectural challenges. We believe that through finding and understanding the essential problem – we will identify the most effective solution. Working together with our clients we believe we can achieve architecture which exceeds their expectations and stands the test of time – this, for us, is work of substance.