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ADDITIONS

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ONGOING MAINTENANCE ISSUES

NATIVE PLANT CONSULTATION

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THE STORY

Sarah Hadskey worked for several firms in Louisiana and then in the Memphis region, building a passion for sustainability in architecture. She founded SAM studio in 2002 as a full-service architecture and planning firm with the goal of bringing sustainable design and Low Impact Development (LID) practices into the mainstream in the Mid-south region.

Sarah has worked on a broad range of project types and scales regionally from institutional office space, schools, churches, and housing to entertainment, casinos, and hospitality. Locally, she completed single family residential, associated land use, and LID portion of sustainable Masterplanning for Memphis Housing Authority’s LID 36-acre mixed-use redevelopment of the Graves Manor low income housing project. Through projects like these, Sarah and SAM studio became known for a thorough, detailed approach to design and construction at multiple scales.

Over the years, SAM studio has evolved into a highly client centered boutique architecture firm for those that desire a close collaboration between building owners, facilities departments, and end users to make their facilities both more responsive to user needs and easier to maintain. Select projects focusing on client centered institutional facilities management have also included prior year project planning and budgeting exercises.

For the last decade, she has loved serving regularly on the Architectural Jury at the University of Memphis for the upper level and graduate students in Comprehensive Studio. Mentoring and providing thoughtful, timely design critiques help hone student abilities to integrate all the design knowledge they have gained into a functional, beautiful project by graduation.

OUR VISION

Building a collaborative relationship with you to understand your goals, needs and challenges is the main practice focus. This small, agile firm carefully chooses projects to deliver personal, attentive, one-on-one service for a wide range of facility needs. We listen intently to define, then design, an individual building solution reflecting your values and requirements in order to support you, your company, your clients, your community, and your employees.

We are committed to thoroughness in managing, coordinating, and completing your projects, whatever the size or budget. Consistent communication in all our processes ensures a finished project that reflects both the original design documents and the design intent. A fully coordinated project process delivers a smoother construction experience.

SAM studio is inclusive and community-minded, with a heart for the people and the rich history of the area surrounding Memphis, Tennessee. Joining forces with local women-owned, minority-owned, and other small businesses harnesses the diversity, creativity, and genius of our neighbors in our joint endeavors and improves our projects.

Project

SAM studio Project Process

Whether you are building a new space or renovating a board room and retrofitting lighting, SAM studio's project experience is ready to help you through the design process to increase the value your facilities bring to you.

Tanyard Hollow Retreat Center: an Exercise in Rural Hospitality.

The client purchased a single slope metal building machine shed on a beautiful creekside property to convert into a rural retreat center. Every member of the client committee commented through the early programming phase that "it was too bad the previous owner had only built half a building." The design exercise completed "the other half of the building." This gallery illustrates the process of adding four upstairs guest rooms, a porch, a full commercial kitchen, community bathrooms, a laundry area, and communal gathering spaces. Amenities included a heated carpeted floor in the gathering area, lots of daylight, acoustical control, and all finish selections. The tall cypress porch columns make the porch space truly stunning.