Last year, we were reminded again and again that the most important parts of a place are often found in some of the smallest spaces. The spaces where people connect with one another and with the buildings and public spaces that make up their community. It’s easy to get caught up in “bigger is better” thinking and focus on property acreage, density, phasing, and scale, but the need for social connection is more important than ever, and those connections start at eye level.

Over the last year, we kept coming back to the “First 16 Feet,” almost regardless of the project. F16 is our term for the zone where buildings and people meet, the ground plane where daily life unfolds. It is the threshold between private and public, between architecture and community. It is where someone decides to either linger or keep walking, and whether they feel welcome or invisible.

As we went about designing a solution for 80-foot-tall historic water towers, rethinking an industrial creek valley, curating a new 80-acre neighborhood, or rebuilding the lobby experience for a national museum, we kept coming back to the detail of the First 16 Feet. What happens at the sidewalk? Is there shade? Are there places to sit? Does the ground floor invite interaction? Is there room for a café table? A stroller? A conversation? If I am moving around, is it clear where I am heading?

Too often, these questions are afterthoughts in the design and construction of places. But they shape our everyday.

The First 16 Feet approach keeps us honest. It forces us to measure success not only in square footage delivered, but in moments and memories created.

As we look through our recent work, we see projects of varying scale and location, and what links them is a commitment to fostering connection through thoughtful, human-centered design.

Because ultimately, places succeed not when the shovel goes in the dirt, or the ribbon is cut, but when they enable moments of gathering and conversation.