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
Places We Love, Part II
On this Valentine’s day, we finish our look at some of our staff’s favorite places on earth. These places represent the connections we make with the places we work and play; sometimes a brief encounter, sometimes a mainstay of everyday life. In case you missed Part I, you can check it our here. We hope … Continue reading
Places We Love, Part I
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we once again spoke with our staff about the buildings, spaces, and places they love the most. The subjects of our affection vary in form and function, but they all have some unique draw that earns our admiration. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do and we encourage … 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
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
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
In Honoring the Past, a New Future for DC Public Schools
From the time of its founding, the DC public school system has pretty much always been both a proving ground for education and a demonstration of the power that architecture holds to enhance student experience and success. Today, the District is in the middle of an ambitious plan to upgrade and modernize its schools. DC’s … 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
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 
Evolution of Today’s Architect: From Master Builder to Master Team-Builder
Posted by dmsarchitects on September 25, 2014 · Leave a Comment
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 →
Filed under Commentary · Tagged with architecture, cities, design, education, Frank Lloyd Wright, Howard Roark, Washington