In July 2007 a number of prominent designers, architects, university and business leaders, lead by Dr. Brian R. Sinclair and sponsored through the support of Haworth Inc., gathered in the Foothills of the Canadian Rocky Mountains to consider current conditions of practice, and to develop a comprehensive framework for approaching and executing contemporary complex projects. Growing out of intense discussion, engaged debate and creative exploration was a set of 15 principles, crafted by Sinclair, that together comprise the framework dubbed ‘The Falkridge Manifesto’. The manifesto aims to highlight the substantive areas of process, practice and projects that warrant our intense attention and inventive solutions in modern times filled with growing demands, heightened complexity, intricate expectations, and a pressing need to promote a better quality of environments, experiences and life.
THE FALKRIDGE MANIFESTO PRINCIPLES:
FM01. SHAPE, ADVOCATE & REALIZE VISION
Foster, facilitate, conceive and construct well-designed human-centered sustainable environments.
FM02. EMPOWER LEADERSHIP
Charge leadership, at various levels, to advocate and advance the VISION, based upon organization values and global design | sustainability ideals.
FM03. DIFFERENTIATE COST|VALUE
View and address costs & budgeting differently, most critically seek long-term value versus short term return and bottom line thinking.
FM04. FOSTER CULTURE OF COLLABORATION
Foster strong teamwork, cooperation, collaboration and sharing, including a distribution of responsibilities, risks and rewards.
FM05. ENACT INTEGRATED DESIGN
Aggressively integrate process, policy, procedures and players, including the innovative deployment of advanced technologies, from the very initial conceptual stages of a project through to construction, completion and operations.
FM06. CELEBRATE THE PUBLIC REALM
Celebrate public spaces and places, thinking beyond architecture and buildings into urban, landscape and social realms.
FM07. TAKE RISKS
Assume calculated risks and be pioneering, experimental, precedent-setting, bar-raising and on the edge as pertains design and sustainability.
FM08. SEEK CARBON NEUTRALITY
Demand zero-footprint system oriented developments and create a carbon-neutral sustainable holistically-considered campus.
FM09. ELEVATE DESIGN
Advocate, celebrate and advance design, as process and product, in all aspects of the built environment and community building.
FM10. CULTIVATE A CULTURE OF QUESTIONING
Cultivate a culture of questioning where it is commonplace to challenge convention, transcend the status quo, rely on critical inquiry and value the findings.
FM11. ENCOURAGE FEEDBACK & LEVERAGE
Seek continuous improvement in process and product based on leveraged learning, structured feedback and systems approaches.
FM12. PROMOTE + POSITION CHAMPION[S]
Appoint, equip, authorize and respect design | sustainability experts.
FM13. ENSURE TRANSPARENCY
Demand and ensure within and between projects, procedures and teams full transparency, reasonableness and accessibility.
FM14. FACILITATE CLEAR DECISION-MAKING
Facilitate clear evidence-based, single-point, efficient and effective decision making.
FM15. PRIORITIZE OPEN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION
Demand and ensure smooth and efficient information flows and communication within | between all projects and processes that is open, clear and well-serviced.