Commonwealth Architects Celebrates 10th Anniversary
April 23, 2009 | Richmond, VA
Commonwealth Architects is proud to celebrate its 10th anniversary this month. It was founded in April 1999 with a simple principle, to focus on the revitalization and repopulation of our communities by rehabilitating existing buildings and encouraging compatible infill development.
Headquartered in Richmond's historic Shockoe Slip district, Commonwealth Architects offers an integrated, full range of disciplines in architecture, historic architecture, interior architecture, landscape architecture, planning, and 3D visualization services. The firm has undertaken a diversity of project types, ranging from the rehabilitation of existing historic structures and new multi-family residential design to new academic facilities and new corporate headquarters. In fact, the firm is expanding its reach into the Carolinas, having recently opened an office in Raleigh.
Despite its depth of service, the firm remains committed to its initial mission. Now, more than ever, issues of sustainability and reuse are at the forefront of architectural practice. Commonwealth Architects believes that this "recycling" of buildings not only saves money, but can also help to save the environment by re-using architectural materials, reducing waste sent to landfills and lowering the often toxic emissions from new building materials.
"At Commonwealth Architects, we believe that the recycling of buildings is the ultimate sustainable solution," said Robert S. Mills, a founding principal of the firm. "Rehabilitating existing buildings for new uses is a fundamentally green and responsible endeavor for our environment."
This philosophy has resulted in numerous local, regional, and national awards for the firm including the prestigious Palladio Award for the adaptive reuse of the former Atlantic Motors Dealership at 1840 West Broad Street in Richmond.
The last year has been one of its most exciting yet, as several large, high-profile rehabilitation projects have been completed. In March, the firm celebrated the grand opening of the former Miller & Rhoads Department Store in downtown Richmond. One of the largest historic investment tax credit projects in Virginia, the 475,000 square-foot building has been transformed into a mixed-use facility containing a Hilton Garden Inn Hotel, condominiums, and street-level restaurant and retail spaces. The development is serving as a centerpiece to Richmond's downtown revitalization efforts.
In 2008, work was completed on the rehabilitation of the former Chamberlin Hotel, which sits on the banks of the Hampton Roads Harbor at Fort Monroe. A treasured landmark of the Tidewater area for almost 80 years, the building has been adaptively reused as an independent living facility and will serve as a model for the redevelopment of Fort Monroe, a decommissioned army post to be handed over to the state in 2011.
Commonwealth Architects also offers extensive interior design and tenant upfit experience, having worked with dozens of Fortune 500 companies on jobs both large and small, including MeadWestvaco, Wellpoint, Bank of America and Alcoa. In addition, the firm has designed numerous healthcare and retail spaces for clients across the Mid-Atlantic region. Recently, Commonwealth Architects has worked with MeadWestvaco on the interior design of its new 305,000-square-foot headquarters in downtown Richmond.
The firm has also developed an impressive portfolio within the Commonwealth of Virginia including its colleges and universities, working at a number of schools including Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, the University of Mary Washington, Virginia State University, Virginia Military Institute, The College of William & Mary, and several community colleges. The firm is currently wrapping up construction on VCU's new addition to the School of Dentistry, a 56,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art, clinical teaching facility on VCU Medical Center's campus.
Work on the rehabilitation of the Washington Building, a state office building built in 1924 on Richmond's Capitol Square, is also in the final stages, as the facility is scheduled to open its doors next month after being closed for nearly four years. In addition, Commonwealth Architects has assisted several state agencies, including the Department of General Services and the Department of Conservation and Recreation, on projects across the state.
This depth of experience has taken the firm to new and unexpected heights. What started out as a 10-person firm has now grown to more than 40 employees with projects up and down the east coast.
"It's really been an exciting 10 years for us," said Dominic Venuto, another founding principal of the firm. "We're achieving what we set out to do in terms of adaptive reuse and interior design, and we've successfully emerged in additional markets as well. Hopefully the next decade will bring as much new opportunity in rehabilitating buildings for current uses and contributing to the architectural fabric of cities throughout the region."
