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
Our Favorite Vacation Destinations
With summer winding down and Labor Day imminent, we thought we would share with you some of our favorite destinations from this summer and vacations past. From the lively to the serene, the domestic to the exotic, our staff has no shortage of imagination when choosing the locales for their getaways. New Orleans (Submitted by … 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
Places We Love
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we talked with our staff about buildings, places and spaces we love. Sometimes our love comes from an appreciation of the form of a place, while others times it comes from something a little more intangible. From parks to monuments, cathedrals to dry cleaners (yes, dry cleaners), here below are some of … Continue reading
Q&A with 2012 DMSAS Fellow Mark Elliott
One of four recipients of the DMSAS Traveling Fellowship in 2012, Mark Elliott, now in his final year at the University of Maryland, spent ten weeks interning at DMSAS and took his fellowship travels in Germany, Austria and the Czech Republic. Mark returned to DMSAS earlier this month to present his work abroad to the … Continue reading
Building with Gingerbread: Five Keys to Creating Successful Structures
The exercise of imagination comes with no rules attached. There is no manual and no blueprint for creating the whimsical confectionery constructions of the seventh annual Gingertown celebration. However, when participating in this year’s ambition to fashion a university campus out of gingerbread, licorice whips, gumdrops, and icing, our colleagues, fellow design professionals, and other friends … Continue reading
Parchment 
Prof. Peabody’s Improbable History of Planning: How We Began Working in Fort Worth
Posted by dmsarchitects on October 22, 2013 · 1 Comment
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 →
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