Architecture

SYLLA has always been mindful that through architecture we shape the built environment with a purpose so that the built environment, in turn, can shape us and shape how we live and work. The symbiotic relationship that puts architecture at the service of mankind and its well-being does not inhibit us from meeting our responsibility to our client’s program needs, budget, and schedule. Between serving mankind and our clients, we discover endless possibilities of creating forms and spaces that owe their appeal to our creative design approach and artistic passion. At the same time, we recognize that not all clients are the same; and therefore, we approach each project with a fresh perspective and invite the client to be a collaborative member of our team, and when they accept to do so, we turn out good works of architecture, delivered on time and on budget, which must be the outcome of any project we undertake. Please browse through our projects.

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Testimonials

All my projects went excellent. I use this firm to assist with interior design for my office building, my home and most recently in May for custom drapery. I highly recommend this firm for the following reasons, they understand budgets, ensures quality of work and workmanship from their contractors and understands that the customer is the owner. Yes and on top of that they know their "stuff"!”

Sylvia Roberts

Interior Design

SPACE PLANNING

A successful interior design  project starts with a good layout of the interior spaces that addresses the lifestyle of the client. At the outset of the project, we thoroughly analyze the interior of the spaces to ensure a good flow. We make suggestions to the client about how the layout can be improved. Sometimes, very minor adjustments can make a big difference.

KITCHEN PLANNING and DESIGN

The success of the kitchens we have designed over the years is due primarily to the importance we place on how the kitchen functions in relationship to the life style of  our clients. For example, the kitchens we have designed for families that like to entertain and cook are different from those we have designed for clients that are single. We also play close attention to the function of the work triangle between the refrigerator the sink and the cook top.

BATHROOM PLANNING and DESIGN

Over the years, bathrooms have taken a greater importance in new houses. We believe that bathrooms should be planned properly in relationship to the areas they serve. For example, we work with clients to design their bathrooms and select the range of bathroom fixtures and accessories to achieve a total interior design of the spaces. The bathroom design will include:

• • Bath tubs
• • Lavatories
• • Toilets/bidets
• • Showers
• • Plumbing fixtures
• • Bathroom accessories

FURNITURE DESIGN/SELECTION

At SYLLA, we strongly believe that no house is successful without the proper selection of furniture that fit the design of the house. We very much look forward to selecting a range of furniture that will bring to life the design of your house.

TEXTILES

We have an extensive library of exquisite fabric to chose from. And, spend a lot of time with our clients to select the perfect fabric for furniture, draperies, bed linens and accessories. Once the fabric is selected, we work with our team of highly experienced upholsters and drapery workrooms that meet the highest quality standards we demand for our clients and their projects.

HOME THEATER DESIGN

Technology has made home theater a key part of new homes. We design the layout of the theater and help the client select the various electronic components that make up the home theater. The components include:

• • Stereo equipment
• • Sound
• • Lighting
• • Housing
• • Acoustics
• • Furniture
• • Window treatment

Urban Design

So at SYLLA, urban design is an integral part of our architectural practice, and we work in a multi-disciple mode to draw from the talent and experiences of architects, urban planners, landscape architects, civil engineers, environmentalists, and artists in a participatory realm to create successful, sustainable and appealing urban environments.

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Urban Planning

21st Century cities are facing two daunting challenges, which are increased urbanization of the world 7 billion people moving into cities in search of opportunities and better living, and the increasingly frightening impact of global warming that is creating refugees that, up until now, were only victims fleeing from political and ethnic conflicts and persecution.

SYLLA has a long-standing experience in working with cities and doing research in the realm of urban planning to come up with workable lasting solutions. We believe also that technology should be an important part of any solution, given that we live in a digital world. So part of the services we provide to the public and private sectors in both the industrialized and developing world include the following:

• • City planning
• • Master planning
• • Neighborhood revitalization
• • Housing
• • Economic development strategies
• • Public/Private development strategies
• • Real estate development

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BIM (BUILDING INFORMATION MODELING)

For the past 18 years, SYLLA has designed all its projects in 3-D, and when the term BIM was first coined around 2003, it became quite natural for the firm to effortlessly integrate this new technology into our design delivery approach without a great deal of difficulty. BIM did not change how SYLLA works, it just made it easier for us to do what we were seeking to do already, which is using technology to be more efficient and turn out a better quality design product that is better coordinated.

While there are misconceptions about what BIM is in the industry, to us it is simply an effective tool and a process of imparting digital intelligence/information to architectural components that make up the virtual computer model from which all design and construction drawings are generated. In other words, BIM puts into question the perennial process that matured in the Beaux Arts School in Paris that relied merely on a set of floor plans, elevations, and sections to describe how a building is to be built. While we still use floor plans, elevations, and sections in architecture, BIM allows us to disaggregate all those drawings from the BIM model and establish a dynamic link between the model and the drawings. That link eliminates the need to pick up a change on several sheets of related drawings. Instead, the change is made on the model, which propagates the changes in all related drawing sheets, thus saving time and improving drawing coordination.

SYLLA draws from this wealth of experience to provide BIM consulting services that include the following:

• • BIM Best Practices
• • BIM Content Libraries
• • BIM Project Setup
• • BIM Deployment Planning
• • BIM Standards
• • BIM Support
• • BIM Training
• • Model Analysis
• • 3-D Modeling

We provide customized hands-on training programs that address the specific needs of projects, phases, disciplines and roles so firms can be efficient and deliver quality services to their clients. Therefore, our first task as a consultant to a firm is to identify the firm’s BIM needs and tailor a solution that responds to those specific needs.

SYLLA’s work is going beyond the mere application of BIM and is focusing on the complete life cycle of projects, by looking at 4-D. This approach looks at how cost estimating, scheduling, and construction can be fully integrated with the BIM model so the inefficiencies common in the AEC industry can be reduced significantly. In fact, SYLLA is yearning for the day that contractors, construction managers, and program managers, can estimate cost, bid on a project, and put their schedules together solely on the basis of a robust, comprehensive, reliable, and stable BIM model and not a bulky set of construction documents and specifications. Can you imagine how many trees and person hours we can save? Airplane manufacturers do it, why can’t we in the AEC industry.

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