Vision & programming
Clarify the purpose, users, activities, capacity, space relationships, and operational needs. Translate the ambition into a program that can be discussed and tested.
Savoie Studios / Schematic design & project development
See the solution early.
Give the project direction.
Turn an ambition or a practical problem into a design you can evaluate. Savoie Studios develops schematic layouts and concepts quickly and efficiently, testing each direction against the client’s goals, budget, and project criteria.
Make the solution tangible.
A project can begin with an ambition, an operational problem, a site, or a possibility that has not yet taken shape. Early project development brings those starting points into a useful conversation about what could be built, what it needs to accomplish, and what it will take to move forward.
Savoie Studios combines creative architectural thinking with practical project judgment. Our schematic design work turns those questions into early layouts, spatial studies, and concept alternatives. We work quickly and efficiently to show how a project could function and take shape, so you can evaluate a tangible direction against your goals, budget, and project criteria.
You can engage us specifically to solve an early design problem or develop a schematic direction. That same design expertise also informs our criteria development and owner advisory when your project calls for broader support.
A collaborator’s perspective / Design leadership
“What consistently stands out is his ability to see possibilities where others see constraints.”
Reflecting on collaboration with Steven across projects prior to Savoie Studios.
A strong vision deserves a thorough test.
The aim is to preserve what makes the idea worthwhile while understanding the space, resources, timing, and delivery conditions it requires.
A collaborator’s perspective / Architectural vision
“Even his first sketches often communicate the idea that will give the project its identity.”
Reflecting on decades of collaboration with Steven across projects prior to Savoie Studios.
Explore the project through six lenses.
Schematic design & problem-solving
Develop preliminary layouts, spatial relationships, and concept studies. Compare alternatives, resolve competing needs, and refine a direction around the client's goals, budget, and project criteria.
Scope & resources
Identify the boundaries, existing conditions, owner commitments, and budget parameters. Determine which questions need further investigation or cost input before a direction is selected.
Estimating & budget
Savoie Studios develops early concepts in alignment with the owner’s target budget. We test scope, materials, and design options against an evolving cost estimate, making tradeoffs visible while there is still room to shape the project.
Early estimates identify assumptions, allowances, and the biggest cost drivers so the design and budget can advance together.
Schedule & market
Examine the sequence of decisions, approvals, design, procurement, and construction. Consider available teams, market capacity, and lead-time information relevant to the project.
Delivery & procurement
Test how different delivery approaches would serve the project. Evaluate the owner's capacity, desired involvement, timing, and tolerance for unresolved information.
Creative experience. Practical direction.
Founder Steven Savoie brings extensive creative project development experience, shaped by his role as national lead designer for a leading provider of public procurement design-build services. He brings the perspective of guiding complex projects from early vision toward delivery, translating owner priorities into creative, practical solutions that align scope, budget, and long-term performance.
Alongside Julie Kennedy-Savoie's entrepreneurial perspective, the studio helps owners consider both the facility and the organizational commitment behind it. A compelling concept must support the client's purpose and make sense to pursue.
What the early work can produce
- A shared statement of project purpose and essential outcomes.
- A preliminary program, schematic layouts, and concept studies for discussion.
- A comparison of design alternatives against the client's goals, budget, and project criteria.
- A record of assumptions, constraints, and investigations still needed.
- An early cost estimate with assumptions, allowances, and options measured against the target budget.
- An outline schedule showing decision points and dependencies.
- A comparison of delivery approaches with a reasoned recommendation and next steps.
We shape these deliverables around the engagement. Early studies establish a basis for decisions; further design, estimating, and specialist investigations are identified as the project requires them.
You can start before the route is decided.
Our early work serves public and private owners considering a new facility, renovation, addition, or a new use for an existing property. You do not need a finished brief or a preferred procurement method to begin.
Bring the ambition, what you already know, and the questions that are holding the project back. We will help identify what to test first and how to turn the findings into a project delivery strategy.
Steven’s story / A family legacy
Building is in my blood.
Design is my passion.
Long before I understood the words “architect” or “builder,” I understood the feeling of creating something with my own hands.
As a young boy, I spent countless hours alongside my dad and grandfather on construction sites, watching, listening, learning, and absorbing the craft that surrounded me. I saw the pride they took in every detail, the satisfaction of turning an idea into something real, and the lasting impact a well-built home could have on the lives of the people who called it their own.
Those early experiences shaped who I am. The sights, sounds, and lessons from those job sites became the foundation for my passion for design and construction. Architecture was not simply a career choice; it was a calling rooted in my family’s legacy. It was something I carried with me long before I ever earned my degree or drew my first set of plans.
After more than 25 years as an architect and design leader, I have had the privilege of helping communities, institutions, and families create spaces that inspire and endure. Savoie Studios represents a return to those earliest lessons: a belief that great places are created when thoughtful design and skilled craftsmanship come together.
Building is in my blood. Design is my passion. And every project is an opportunity to honor the legacy that started it all.
Explore architect-led design-buildAn owner’s perspective / Rushville City Center
Design that builds understanding
“Steve has a unique ability to communicate design. He could take complex ideas and make them understandable, helping us evaluate options, build consensus, and make decisions while keeping the larger vision intact.”
Reflecting on Steven Savoie’s work as Architect of Record for Rushville City Center.
Read the full testimonialAn owner’s perspective / K–12 education
Clear direction, grounded in the budget
“He has a gift for turning broad goals into a clear project direction while keeping the district’s budget and long-term needs in focus.”
Start a conversation
Your next project.
A clearer starting point.
Bring the idea, the space that is not working, or the decision you need to make. Let’s explore a design direction and the support that fits your project.
Discuss a project
Schematic design · Owner advisory & design criteria · Architect-led design-build