Travelogue: Discovering the Iberian Peninsula
A portion of my ancestry can be traced back to the Iberian Peninsula, specifically Spain. Seeing it first hand – the people, the culture, and, of course, the architecture – is something I’ve wanted to do for some time now. Spain’s diversity of culture peaked my interest the most, from the northern Basque region to the … Continue reading
Travelogue: Wonders of Natural Stone in Verona
Faithful readers, you will recall in June, at the conclusion of my Chicago travelogue, I had hoped my next travelogue would come from Verona, Italy in the autumn. Well, I ended up waiting until my return to write it, but indeed, this post will chronicle my Veronese stone experience. With much anticipation, and great appreciation, … Continue reading
Q&A with Architectural Photographer Steve Hall
Architectural photography is an art that mirrors architecture in its meticulous eye for detail, scale & context. The trade’s practitioners are part photographer, part designer and part director. A strong working relationship between designer and photographer is critical to the capture of photos that perfectly convey a building’s character and story. We caught up with … Continue reading
Evolution of Today’s Architect: From Master Builder to Master Team-Builder
What do architects really do? I’ve found that the public perceives architects in a few ways: we’re sometimes the brash genius like Frank Lloyd Wright (or lone genius like Howard Roark) pursuing a singular vision and driving budgets through the roof. Or we’re clients’ lap dogs, designing bland residential buildings that tower over their neighbors … Continue reading
From Bowties to Brushstrokes: Traditional Tools for Contemporary Architects
In the days before computers (ancient history for young architects today) architects wore bowties to avoid smearing their drawings, smoked pipes to keep drawings safe from falling ash and were exposed to potentially dangerous ammonia to make blueprints on a daily basis. Things have certainly changed in the architectural world. Software has brought about a … Continue reading
Q&A with 2014 DMSAS Fellow Allison Palmadesso
One of four DMSAS Fellowship recipients in 2014, Allison Palmadesso will be entering her final year at the University of Maryland in the Fall. Before beginning her 10 week internship with the firm, Allison took her fellowship travels to Turkey, Germany and Amsterdam. We talked with Allison about her travels and her time at DMSAS … Continue reading
Q&A with 2014 DMSAS Fellow Patrick Riordon
One of four recipients of the DMSAS Traveling Fellowship in 2014, Patrick Riordon took his fellowship travels to Japan before beginning his 10 week internship at the firm. Before he heads back to the University of Notre Dame for his final year of under graduate studies, we caught up with Patrick to talk about his travels and … Continue reading
Travelogue: Celebration and Sightseeing in Chicago
I recently returned from a quick jaunt to Chicago. While it was at the start of the AIA’s National Convention at McCormick Place, the actual impetus for the trip was, in fact, a much more celebratory occasion. David M. Schwarz’s Schermerhorn Symphony Center, designed for the Nashville Symphony Orchestra, is a 2014 recipient of a … Continue reading
Our Favorite Buildings in D.C.
Last week, DCist posted a list of their favorite buildings in D.C, which got us thinking – what are our favorite buildings in our hometown? So we polled our staff and, in a city of great monuments and lots of limestone, got quite the interesting mix of buildings. Ranging from notorious to humble, historic to utilitarian, we … Continue reading
Parchment 
Alpharetta City Hall Opens as Centerpiece of New Development
Posted by dmsarchitects on December 18, 2014 · 1 Comment
We are pleased to announce and celebrate the grand opening of the new Alpharetta City Hall, at the heart of Alpharetta, Georgia’s new Downtown City Center Master Plan. We would like to congratulate Mayor David Belle Isle, the Alpharetta City Council, and the city of Alpharetta on their new landmark. The traditional design of the … Continue reading →
Filed under Commentary, Design · Tagged with alpharetta, architecture, design, DMSAS, georgia, planning, public square