In 2006, Design Army, an accolade laden Washington DC graphic design firm looked for a new space to locate its growing business. After a concentrated search, Design Army purchased a dilapidated building in the City’s NOMA (North of Massachusetts Avenue) District. Destroyed in the riots of 1968, the district lay dormant for over 30 years before becoming a focus for redevelopment in the City’s Master Plan. Programmatically, Design Army needed to gut and expand the structure from a two to a three and a half story building. The eight person firm needed two and half floors of studio space as well as a street-front retail space they could lease to supplement the operating costs of the new building. Conscious of a limited budget in a market of expanding construction costs, the architects’ design lets sunlight take center stage. Skylights over a continuous single run stairway allow natural light to flood the volume and allow visitors to ascend floors identified by their increasing luminosity. White walls, exposed building system components, and Plexiglas railings ensure that the building is always the backdrop for the designers work. The architects were aware that the new zoning overlay about to be adopted for the neighborhood would restrict the building to three floors. Working with the planning commission and zoning board, the architects obtained a variance to allow a mezzanine roof deck and kitchen area. Design Army represented a vibrant new source of activity and redevelopment for the block.In 2008, Design Army took possession of a luminous work and meeting space that reinforces their clients’ belief that they have hired a graphic design firm that provides “designs that resonate with intelligence, relevance and professionalism.”
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