Signal to Method LLC

Signal to Method LLC is my independent research and knowledge strategy consultancy based in Charleston, SC. I help people who plan and build make project research, evidence-based design, and post-occupancy evaluation work in real practice, not just on paper.

I work business to business, helping design firms, owners, and other organizations in planning and building start or scale their research practice. I also partner with design teams on projects with significant research needs, including pre- and post-occupancy evaluation. Services include advisory sessions, project consulting, research practice workshops, and leadership sessions. Teams also come to me to write stronger RFPs and build research tools they keep using long after the engagement ends.

I'm B Sanborn. I read organizations the way I was trained to read an archaeological site: through what people build with their habits and creativity, and what that reveals about how they work and live together. I bring over 15 years across archaeology, environmental psychology (MS, Cornell), and integrated design, including nine years at a top-50 integrated design firm, where I grew the research function from a solo practice to a team of four and rose to Principal. I write, speak, and teach about research practice, including talks at SXSW and the AIA Conference on Architecture. I'm a former Board Chair of the Environmental Design Research Association and serve on the Center for Health Design's EDAC Advisory Council and the American Psychological Association's Climate Change Task Force.