Malcolm Kent founded Rough Sketch as a vehicle for residential design based on a collaborative relationship with client, builder and others to create houses that fit their sites, their climates and their cultures.

The rough sketch seeks to illustrate the essential elements and the character of the project, to engage the imagination and develop aspirations for the design, so the design process can be guided by the spirit expressed in the sketch. Roughness permits interpretative readings, so that participants in the process can agree on big ideas unconstrained by detail.