"Our projects don't follow a certain style nor fit into a particular genre because they reflect the client, and a sensitivity of the site, climate and surrounding area."

— Tom Lenchek, principal

Firm Profile
(420 K PDF)

A history of balance

Balance Associates began in 1980 consulting to government agencies and utilities on energy-efficient building designs and programs. Around 1990, our focus shifted from consulting to designing for our own clients. Today we design and oversee construction of homes, cabins and other structures throughout the West. We can still design for sustainability and energy efficiency, balancing your desire for environmentally responsible building with your desire for an architecturally sophisticated home. But people choose Balance now because we design for their needs exclusively, and balance form and function with beautiful results.

Balance means integrated design
Although our architecture has a modern sensibility, our "style" is determined by an integrated design concept, with every detail considered and merged into a final whole. A carefully designed structure becomes part of the landscape, enhancing rather than encroaching on the surroundings. So we study the site, the way the sun moves across the sky, and the views. The site determines the materials used too, from granite to timbers. Even the setting influences the look and feel, as we consider how a house will interact with a surrounding neighborhood, a hilly terrain or a sandy shoreline. Our structures respond appropriately to the climate and are built to maximize panoramic vistas and natural lighting. The style dominates the interior too, as we blur the distinctions between indoors and out, and repeat motifs and materials within a house for consistency and flow.

Client, site, setting, climate: No one can stylistically classify Balance Associates because every project is unique.