Lord & Taylor, founded in 1826, is the oldest specialty department store chain in the country. They built the first suburban department stores, which became models for a new retail typology. In 1953, Lord & Taylor presented an award for independent thinking to Albert Einstein for his “nonconformity” in scientific matters. The company has an especially interesting story to tell in terms of both its history and its connection to high-level architectural design in its department stores. The projects developed under the leadership of Dorothy Shaver with Raymond Loewy provide a rich catalogue of inspiration. The spatial and formal fluidity in these early works was something we looked to rediscover, in particular, for the store in Ridge Hill, both in terms of the building’s relationship to its context as well as the experience of the public.
As the first new L&T store since 2001, our goal was to realize a project that honors the legacy of an iconic and historic partnership in design, both in terms of its architectural and urban presence (evolving the “big box” store) and its technological and design creativity.
In 2012 the Tacoma Art Museum received a gift of Western art, creating an opportunity to feature two unique collections – Western art and their existing contemporary art collections–together in one building. The design brief for the new addition and remodel to house the collections was: 1) better announce the museum to the community; 2) design a new wing that is sympathetic to its surrounding historic context; 3) create a public living room that offers transparency to the street, and; 4) resolve an overly complex and obscured entry sequence.
The Franklin Mountains extend into the north end of El Paso like a peninsula of rocky wilderness into the urban landscape of the city, rising 2500 feet above the Rio Grande river valley. The home site is set in the foothills of the Franklins 800 feet above the city perched just above a small canyon with unobstructed views of downtown El Paso and Juarez to the south.
The expansion of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art fuses architecture with landscape to create an experiential architecture that unfolds for visitors as it is perceived through each individual’s movement through space and time. The new addition, named the Bloch Building, engages the existing sculpture garden, transforming the entire Museum site into the precinct of the visitor’s experience. The new addition extends along the eastern edge of the campus, and is distinguished by five glass lenses, traversing from the existing building through the Sculpture Park to form new spaces and angles of vision. The innovative merging of landscape, architecture and art was executed through close collaboration with museum curators and artists, to achieve a dynamic and supportive relationship between art and architecture.
The Global Headquarters located in New York City. Located in the historical twin gothic towers that compose Trinity Centre located in the vibrant and ever changing Financial District. The new space will house 250 employees. Having mainly northern light to work with we selected a bright pallet including natural ash wood, the company’s pallet of black and white plus brushed brass accents in light fixtures and hardware elements to accomplish a strong interior space. We allocated resources to where they were most needed, including a welcoming lobby/lounge space that portrays the company’s graphic mastery into architectural elements using ash wood louvered panels and glass as the main characters.
Located at the terminus of Canal Street at the Hudson River, the Salt Shed’s crystalline, faceted planes enliven this highly visible structure. The cast-in-place concrete structure tapers toward the bottom—creating more pedestrian space—and rises from a glazed moat that will be illuminated at night. The Salt Shed’s solid, crystalline surface acts as a counterpoint to the diaphanous, scrim-like façade of the Manhattan 1/2/5 Garage, directly across Spring Street to the north. Rising nearly 70 feet, the shed houses 5,000 tons of salt and has already become an iconic landmark at this important intersection.
The renovation/addition of this Tudor style residence in Rye, New York links the home to its exterior by adding light filled program and circulation. While maximizing the habitable use of the site, the addition also responds to the key parameters of the existing home, preserving its character and history within the suburban neighborhood context.
Sited in an existing small level clearing at the top of a steeply sloping Mill Valley lot surrounded by mature cedar and redwood trees, this 640 square foot guest house is designed to serve multiple generations and functions; a guest room for visiting parents and friends, a media room, and a hangout space for teenage children. The porch and media room are situated on the more open side of the site and the guest room is tucked into the trees.
The Rock Creek House is an adaptive re-use project of a 1920’s brick structure that was originally composed of two floors, with a mechanical basement and attic. This adaptation leverages the robustness of the existing structure to capture the attic and basement to double the house’s size, while expanding its functions into the landscape.
Project team: Sarah Dunbar, Remon Alberts, John Houser, Stephen Saude, Jonathan Palazzolo, Lisa Lostritto, Parke Macdowell, David Richmond, Dane Assmusen, Ghazal Abbasy-Asbagh, Mehdi Alibakhshian, Sina Mesdaghi, Tom Beresford, Dan Gallagher
Corporate tenants in 589 5th Avenue, a 17-story mid-century building in Midtown Manhattan, now have new elevator cabs to complement their redesigned corridors and existing lobby. The cabs are clad with Banker Wire mesh, offering a sophisticated look with unmatched durability.
A total of four elevators were redesigned and clad with Banker Wire’s DF-6 stainless steel woven metal mesh, in concert with frosted back-painted glass, LED lights and terrazzo tile.
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