January 28, 2015

Silver Thoughts

by Alan Reed

Silver Thoughts
Alan Reed

Alan Reed

FAIA, LEED AP

President

I’ve been thinking a lot about silver lately. Not LEED certification or the precious metal. And not because silver is the color of my hair, although it does represent the passage of time and that, in fact, is the subject of my musings of late. I’ve been thinking of silver because this year GWWO will celebrate our Silver Anniversary—25 years of working with clients with compelling missions and fascinating stories, 25 years of working with some of the most talented, creative and dedicated architects that I know (our staff) and 25 years of creating evocative and engaging architecture. As with so many things in life, looking back it feels like, well, quicksilver—the time has passed so quickly that it is difficult to grasp. And yet each one of those years holds memories that are near and dear to my heart.

GWWO was established in October of 1990. There were 10 of us; the four principals—Grieves, Worrall, Wright, and O’Hatnick—four associates, a draftsman and a receptionist. The firm was located on Read Street in Baltimore’s Mount Vernon neighborhood for our first ten years, then in 2001 we moved to the Stieff Silver Building in Remington. At the time, we had grown to 21 people. In 2009, we changed our name to, simply, GWWO (Reed, Wright, Hume, Lapointe and Squyres just didn’t roll off the tongue). Today, as we prepare to celebrate our Silver Anniversary (in the Stieff Silver building – how appropriate is that?), we have grown to a 55 person firm and one of the largest in Baltimore. Yes, there has been a lot of change in the last 25 years, yet in many ways we are still that 10 person firm that began in 1990. We have steadfastly maintained our close-knit firm culture. Our motto has always been “Work Hard, Play Hard.” And we still dedicate our careers to enhancing people’s lives through design.

Throughout this year, as we celebrate 25 years of being in business, I would just like to say Thank You to those of you who have taken part in our incredible journey.

Alan.

Alan Reed

Alan Reed

FAIA, LEED AP

President

Alan Reed is GWWO’s President and Design Principal. He is a regular speaker on topics related to interpretive center design, including contextual design, and in 2011 he was elevated to the AIA College of Fellows specifically in recognition of his work on interpretive center facilities nationwide.