There’s an acronym that has been around for a while now which is getting more attention as we emerge from the pandemic: Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) is becoming a more common topic around the design of new buildings, whether they are speculative in nature or for a specific corporate user. ESG metrics are becoming a…
Developers typically find that one of the most expensive components of a ground up construction is the glazing systems. Natural light gives life to a building. Without it there’s no life and no demand for space. Insulated glazing was invented in 1865, and the technology slowly started to make its way into commercial development in the 1930’s, becoming commonly available in the 50’s. Glass has a major impact on the experiential quality of a space and is often a primary component of the overall design concept. Glass technology has shaped and repeatedly redefined architecture, and its most recent evolution offers a broad spectrum of options.
As a lasting result of the ‘Shelter-In-Place’ orders, our greenspaces may possess increasingly vital roles in our daily lives. As outdoor spaces continue to fill expanded roles, they also may adapt and change.
A few weeks ago, we asked our clients, consultants, contractors, and friends of the firm to share their experiences during the current pandemic. We are excited to share our findings and some of the excerpts from our generous survey volunteers.
COVID-19 has dramatically affected how we shop, dine, and are entertained. Retailers, restauranteurs, and theater operators are beginning to reopen in limited capacities and think about what the nature of these functions looks like in the future.
Being mindful of potential cost and spatial implications, these ideas outline and suggest realistic measures which may be taken to, logically but resourcefully, re-shape multifamily communities.
In last month’s post my colleague Jon Rollins discussed some of the considerations at the intersection of space planning, room utilization and building programming. In this post, we will look at an individual learning space and a few simple, but often overlooked, steps to maximize its use. The flexible classroom is often considered a space…
One of the most common client comments we hear in our campus planning practice is “there’s not enough space for ___”. While there may be legitimate deficits in certain types of campus space (more on that later), what we frequently discover though interviews and analysis is that it is not the amount of space that’s…
written by Ashley Hall Ever thought about adding Solar panels to your home? Our own, Russell Hagg, Architect in the Dallas Interiors studio, answers some FAQ’s from his own experience: AH: What sparked your interest on installing solar panels for your house? RH: We wanted to find a way to reduce our electricity cost. AH:…
written by Jillian Brooks While the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area ranks as one of the most congested urban areas in the country, employees at GFF are finding ways to get out of their cars and back into the City. GFFers have multiple ways of getting around, from the historic McKinney Avenue Trolley to the newly…
GFF was honored to host a reception for the visiting students, alumni and staff from The University of Kansas. After visiting the Perot Museum with GFF’s Duncan Fulton, our guests enjoyed beverages and hors d’oeuvres, while catching up and talking all things architecture. Rock Chalk, Jayhawks!
Recently the Womble studio took a tour of the Alta Strand construction site in the Dallas Design District. This 400 unit, 5-story wood framed multifamily residential project stretches nearly 1000 feet along Turtle Creek and an extension of the Trinity Strand Trail. The long linear site itself brought many challenges with access and layout, and efforts were…
With the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities program, there is a newly acquired focus on Resilient Design. While Resilient Design is intuitively understood, there needs to be a clarification in the definition to truly understand the parameters of Resilient Design. According to the Resilient Design Institute, “Resilient Design is not any single concept or perspective. Resiliency…
Rapidly expanding knowledge, faster communication with an increasingly wide audience, and evolving societal and learning needs will require that the twenty-first century school and university campus be more open, more flexible and more technology-enabled than ever before. One pedagogical trend driving this evolution in learning spaces is the shift from passive delivery to active learning…
GFF Principals David Farrell and Scott Sower gave a great GFF University presentation on Value Engineering yesterday. In the photo below, they explain how we must adapt our thinking during the course of a project as more becomes known about the budget. For those of you who don’t know David, his presentations are never without great…
Just down the street from GFF is a dinosaur-sized mural by Douglas Rouse (completed in 2010). As you may know, GFF played a role in the Perot Museum project for many years and worked with architectural office Morphosis to complete the design. We thought you might like to know how tall T-Rex really is when…
We thought we would give you sneak peak of our poster for Larry‘s upcoming GFFU. Captured in their natural habitat are retired principal Bryce Weigand and Director of GFF Planning Brian Moore. We bet you didn’t know that site planning was so fun.
