41 friend Bill Coore worked together to produce a 36-hole development. “Collaborating with Bill on the routing of Streamsong was so interesting, because we were both letting someone else into a process we usually do ourselves,” he says. “The goal was to get a 36-hole solution where we would both be happy building either course, and we were only able to do that because of a long history of mutual respect. Our approaches are very different, so there was a lot of back and forth, and it took quite a while, partly because there was no rush to start construction, and we weren’t too busy elsewhere.” UK-based architect Tim Lobb has recently taken on a couple of collaborative projects, at Pirkkala in Finland, where he has worked with Kari Haug, and at Gävle in Sweden, with Christian Lundin. “Most of the collaborative projects will occur between two parties who know (and respect) each other. In my case the collaborations have come from colleagues in the golf course architecture world through our relationships and friendships through the EIGCA,” he says. “I have also found collaborations with partners who are localised to projects is also a massive benefit in terms of local knowledge and accessibility to the project. “Concept and visioning is the most important stage of the collaboration, to create a variety of ideas and use local knowledge as a foundation for the thought process. For the Pirkkala project in Finland we were also keen to implement Kari Haug’s Playable Pathway strategy to enhance a design foundation routed in diversity and inclusion, and the correct application of forward tees.” Lobb says it is inevitable that there will be differences of opinion in collaborative projects, and that finding a constructive way to deal with them is essential if the project is to succeed. “Debate and discussion should be a part of any design process and for sure different ideas are generated, which might not necessarily be the way you may have done it in the past,” he says. “But with discussion the best solution for the client is achieved. No one person knows everything and there is the beauty of collaboration. With Christian in Sweden at Gävle we were both asked to submit for the project. Christian and I decided to collaborate and help the client achieve their vision together. It has been a fantastic project and I loved working with Christian on the vision and concept. Christian and his team are now implementing it. It is my first project in Sweden and working next to Christian has been wonderful.” The firm of Clayton, DeVries and Pont is not obviously set up to encourage collaboration, given that its four partners (the three founders – Mike Clayton, Mike DeVries and Frank Pont – and Hendrik Hilgert) are based in different countries across three continents. But, says chairman Edward Cartwright, team members still work together closely. “Given the distances and local projects in all three ‘jurisdictions’, we are asked how we work together fairly frequently,” he says. “Our teams in Europe, Australia and the US provide complete client solutions locally. There is also full cross-border collaboration to suit the client’s needs. Examples of this would be at The Addington in England, where Frank, Clayts and Mike have all consulted, at Bloomfield Hills in the Photo: Lobb + Partners Architects Tim Lobb and Christian Lundin worked on a masterplan for both 18-hole courses at Gävle club in Sweden
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