Our firm name, 7 Directions reflects the spirit of our work and philosophy. The name represents a concept shared by many tribes of the Seven Directions: the four cardinal directions plus up towards father sky, down towards mother earth, and inward into each of our hearts. Our firm focuses on the intertwined aspects of sustainability and culture. Our designs attempt to create contemporary buildings which use less energy, less non-renewable materials, and which are highly responsive to the local climate. We achieve this through a rigorous design process that follows LEED guidelines (the US Green Building Council’s green design criteria) and incorporates energy modeling to determine optimal building orientation, materials, and systems. We develop designs that incorporate the fundamental elements of the culture of our clients. Our firm achieves this through cultural research and an interactive design process that involves community members directly in the design and incorporates their knowledge of their culture.