Katie Winter opened her own architectural and landscape design firm in 2000. The firm focuses on designing and building architecture and landscapes for clients committed to serving educational missions that address underserved communities and/or often overlooked program types. Doing so means taking a deep interest in the mission of such clients, spending time to ensure that the design responds to both their practical needs and their deeper aspirations. The firm works with clients to find visual vocabularies that resonate with the community and express their ideas and goals. With a background in Design-Build methods, the firm takes a collaborative approach to design, integrating the realities of construction from the start. Involving those who are experienced in the trades early in the process benefits the project in numerous ways, including avoiding design concepts that are beyond budget and being able to take advantage of site conditions that can reduce costs. In order to work in such an in-depth way with clients, the firm limits the number or projects it takes on and other activities that it pursues.