Rebuilding The Past: The Controversial Case of Berlin’s Stadtschloss, Part I
This post is the first in a two-part series by DMSAS Intern Architect Julian Murphy. Before joining the firm full time last summer, Julian served as a DMSAS Travel Fellow from the University of Notre Dame. Julian graduated from Notre Dame with an BArch in May 2012. As a part of my DMSAS travel fellowship, … Continue reading
Cowtown Renaissance: Creating a Downtown Plan That Gave Texans a Place to Walk
Our post from October 22 gave a brief history of how we came to be involved in three decades of planning and architecture in Fort Worth, TX. This second installation on our work in Fort Worth delves into some of the planning issues we encountered and provides some background on several of the more important … Continue reading
Prof. Peabody’s Improbable History of Planning: How We Began Working in Fort Worth
By those that know of David M. Schwarz Architects, but do not know us well, one question is asked time and again. With the forthcoming opening of the actual “square” in Sundance Square, which also marks the 25th year of our planning efforts in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, it is finally time to definitively answer … Continue reading
Helpful or Hurtful: The Power of ANCs in DC Development
Almost everyone practicing architecture in our city, along with the land use attorneys who represent our clients, know the potential power of the Advisory Neighborhood Committees (ANC’s) in the development process. We normally strive to curry favor and collect Brownie points when ANC’s are concerned. However, a series of recent events strongly suggests that it … Continue reading
Architecture and Acoustics: You Know Greatness When You Hear It
Architecture and acoustics are highly dependent on each other. Every design element in the room, down to the smallest ornament, shapes the sound. Nothing should happen by accident. Working with acousticians, one quickly learns that acoustics is one third art, one third science, and one third black magic (actually something between intuition and malarkey). To … Continue reading
Computer Renderings: Perfection & Peril
Computer renderings give us a real clear view of what our building will look like. Or do they? For centuries, architects have created hand-drawn rendered perspectives and elevations with exquisite detail. The renderings could be highly realistic or vague and sketchy, depending on the intended purpose and project phase. Clients and users could experience a … Continue reading
Ten Buildings That Changed DC
PBS recently aired an ambitious documentary presuming to tell us about the “Ten Buildings that Changed America.” After what may have been a tortuous consideration of which ten should be the ten, the producers settled on selections that ranged from Albert Kahn’s commissions for Henry Ford in Highland Park, Mich., to Frank Gehry’s Disney Concert … Continue reading
Downtown Crown’s First Retail Facade is Up
We recently paid a visit to the site of the future Downtown Crown in Gaithersburg to see the progress on our retail buildings currently under construction. The skin on retail Building A3 is on and the storefront will be installed soon. The majority of the steel has been erected for building C1 and the façades should … Continue reading
Opening the Drugstore Window
Drugstores are turning their back on the communities that at one time were their greatest patrons. Once the heart of Main Street and the core of the community, the pharmacy, with its soda fountain and lunch counter, used to anchor our neighborhoods–and, indeed, even much of our social lives. The news that was heard, the … Continue reading
Parchment 
Rebuilding The Past: The Controversial Case of Berlin’s Stadtschloss, Part II
Posted by dmsarchitects on February 7, 2014 · 1 Comment
This post is the second in a two-part series by DMSAS Intern Architect Julian Murphy. Before joining the firm full time last summer, Julian served as a DMSAS Travel Fellow from the University of Notre Dame. Julian graduated from Notre Dame with an BArch in May 2012. You can read Part I of the series here. The … Continue reading →
Filed under Commentary, Design · Tagged with architecture, DMSAS, Fellowship, Germany, public square, urban