IO Design Collaborative has worked on projects from historic farmsteads and cemeteries to new retail stores, urban infill, and community master plans.  A commitment to historic preservation, appropriate infill, sustainable design, and locally produced goods underlies all of our work.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION - Historic cultural landscapes deserve the same treatment as historic buildings and structures.  In fact, the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards require equal treatment of significant historic landscapes that qualify for the National Register of Historic Places.  We take this mandate to heart, and ask clients to fund historical research on sites that might qualify for the National Register.

URBAN DESIGN - Urban Design encompasses the large scale planning of cities, and the design and layout of the sites within them, from streets to parks to plazas – the places that make up our shared space.  IO Design creates beautiful, vibrant urban places that promote human health, activity and social interaction.

SUSTAINABILITY - Regional ecosystems are the classrooms for our sustainable design approach.  In each of our projects we try to increase biological diversity, creating healthy, productive landscapes that mimic the function of surrounding natural systems and make the site beautiful and comfortable for its users.   Plants should not only survive, but should thrive, minimizing energy consumption and maintenance cost.  We use local materials, suppliers and contractors whenever possible.

LOCAL PRODUCTION - Historically, the economies of towns and cities were supported by the local production of food and other essential goods.  With the cost of fuel skyrocketing, people are again looking for local products.  We support the Buy Local! movement with planning and advocacy for community gardens, Community Supported Agriculture cooperatives (CSAs), and farmers markets, and the protection of agricultural land with conservation easements and Transfer of Development Rights (TDA).