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September 24, 2018
in
by John W

Dahlgren Chapel Renovation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Georgetown University Washington, DC Award of Excellence in Historic Architecture, AIA Northern Virginia   For more than a century, the Dahlgren Chapel of the Sacred Heart has been a place of worship, reflection and celebration for Georgetown University. Surrounded on three sides by Georgetown’s oldest buildings to form Dahlgren Quadrangle, it is not only one of the campus’s most iconic structures but also a historic local landmark.   The chapel, constructed in 1893 in the style of 13th century English cathedrals, is the spiritual heart of the Georgetown community. In this sacred space, generations of students, faculty, staff and alumni have attended Mass, weddings, baptisms or simply stole a quiet moment of reflection. Therefore, preservation of its architectural character was a top priority. The University needed to update the space, but the renovated space still needed to feel like home.   This preservation project included renovation of the chapel interior and improvements to the exterior quadrangle. The interior...

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September 22, 2018
in
by natasha

Riverside Baptist Church

23[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Riverside Baptist Church Washington, DC   The new Riverside Baptist Church replaces the church’s third location in the city.  A longstanding institution of DC’s Southwest neighborhood the new church remains a centerpiece of a reimagined waterfront district.  Strategically located at a major gateway into the SW neighborhood it will provide a link to the redeveloping waterfront.  This location delivers a primary project objective to achieve a significant and expressive structure.   The overall building form clearly expresses the three elements of a place of worship; a visible entrance, its identity as a church and clarity in the presence of a worship space.  The transparent corner at 7th Street and Maine Avenue visually connects to The Wharf development.  The bell tower, a clear and common reference to a Christian church, anchors the corner and is topped by another symbol and identity reference, a cross.  The worship space is represented by a wall of glass formed to...

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September 10, 2018
in
by John W

St. Rose of Lima Priests Retirement Home

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Diocese of Arlington Annandale, Virginia   The goal for this project was to create a peaceful, supportive and accessible independent senior living community for up to 20 retired priests. Initially, GBR Architects worked with a Diocesan Committee to develop appropriate space, schedule and cost requirements along with qualitative criteria to evaluate three potential building sites in Fairfax and Arlington counties. The selected site in Annandale, Virginia delivered the best opportunity to meet these diverse requirements.   Following the site selection, GBR Architects designed a residential facility to meet the priests’ unique needs for worship, communal and living spaces. It was decided that the project would be built in multiple phases to provide the necessary housing over time as the diocesan priest population reached retirement age. The initial phase provided for eight priest apartments, a staff apartment, and all shared common areas including foodservice, dining, fitness, and meeting rooms. Of particular importance, the Chapel was designed...

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September 6, 2018
in
by John W

St. Philip Catholic Church

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Diocese of Arlington Falls Church, Virginia   Constructed in the 1960's, the space was originally designed to serve the dual functions of worship and school gymnasium. As its use evolved to become the permanent sanctuary, GBR was engaged to design a renovation to transform the existing space into one of serenity and peace with a richly layered, architecturally progressive character that creates a welcoming spiritual home for the congregation.   As a visual reminder of the link between the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, all of the major liturgical elements in the renovated church are on axis.  This begins with the ambry containing the holy oils; to the font in the baptistry; to the sanctuary and altar.  The font at St. Philip was designed in the style of the early Church.  In the center of the octagonal  baptistry is a Greek cross with equidistant sides.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

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September 6, 2018
in
by sean

Saint George’s Nave Renovation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Saint George's Episcopal Church Arlington, Virginia   Saint George’s Episcopal Church has served the Arlington community for over 100 years. The original church building on this site was erected in 1911. The church grew with many additions over the years: Parish Hall in 1933, Nave in 1952, Organ Chamber in 1955, Administration Wing in 1958, and expanded in 1996. Since 1975, the original 1911 chapel has served as a worship  space to La Iglesia San José.   GBR was initially engaged for planning services to determine the best use for current space and to consider if another expansion was necessary. After evaluation of needs and budgets, it was determined to focus on renovation of the three main spaces: Nave, Parish Hall and Chapel. For sacred spaces, such as this, generations of families have attended worship, weddings, and baptisms, so preserving the architectural character of the spaces was a top priority.   The focus of the renovation was...

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August 25, 2018
in
by sean

Senior Wing Renovation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Saint Anselm's Abbey Washington, DC   Built in the early 1940s as housing for novices, this portion of the Saint Anselm’s Abbey monastery has served many uses over the years. The original wing had twelve dormitory rooms with a large ganged bathroom at the center. Very shortly after construction, the novices were moved out and the wing served as the High School from 1942 until 1955. After the school moved to a new building, the space served a variety of purposes including a barber shop, library, vocation office, mail room, and housing for monks with special needs. In order to better provide for their aging population, the Abbey engaged GBR Architects to repurpose the space once again into a dedicated senior wing.   The renovation created six independent living units consisting of a bedroom and private bathroom, with five of the bathrooms being fully ADA accessible. Also included in the renovation were an ADA accessible...

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August 24, 2018
in
by sean

Holy Martyrs of Vietnam Catholic Church

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Diocese of Arlington Arlington, Virginia   A generic 1950's era church was acquired by this predominately Vietnamese parish. In order to better suit their unique needs, the building was expanded and re-imagined with a new exterior aesthetic that draws from elements of traditional Vietnamese architecture.  Additions to the church provide a new narthex, meeting and classroom spaces.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]...

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