how we think

At LANDMASS, we think like an island. 

ī′lənd. noun. 1. “A piece of land, smaller than a continent, entirely surrounded by water.”

By necessity, our approach to design is efficient, adaptable and resourceful. On an island, all the energy is compressed in one small place. Every experience is intensified. Where every available resource is precious, we work to harness the raw elements of a site’s native ecology. This allows us to grow a design out of the land, working with existing features and amplifying them to add lasting strategic value. The sun. The wind. The rain. The shade, sense of enclosure, and the aroma of flowers, trees and other living materials. These elemental forces, along with the voices and actions of stakeholders over time, give shape to a design.

Pilihonua, Community garden and cultural center. Pālehua, O’ahu. [LANDMASS].
A vision for a community center. Lihue, Kauai. [UHCDC]
Twenty mossy years after construction. Hubbardston, MA USA. [LANDMASS].