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Architectural Products on WPA: “Community Architecture at its Finest”

Written by WPA on December 17, 2024. Posted in Assembly, Chrysler Museum, Community, Elizabeth River Project, Glass Studio, Mel Price, Norfolk, Virginia, WPA.

Community is critical to the work we do at Work Program Architects. Whether we’re working with local officials, engaging small business owners or talking with neighbors about their hopes and concerns, we rely on their voices to help our projects enhance the social, economic, and environmental landscape of our region.

Barbara Horwitz-Bennett at Architectural Products recently highlighted this aspect of our work in her Last Details column, going so far as to call the work WPA does “a shining example of community architecture at its finest.”

To support that superlative statement, she shared some of our favorite community-focused projects, like the Ryan Resilience Lab, OpenNorfolk, and the Perry Glass Studio at the Chrysler Museum of Art. Each of these projects reflects our mission to make communities stronger, more vibrant, and more resilient.

“We view the community as a major stakeholder in the work we do. They might not be the ones calling for a proposal, but they will be impacted by the environments we help build,” WPA CEO Mel Price told Horwitz-Bennett. “For a project to be successful, those impacts need to be taken into account, which means that those people need to be listened to.”

Read the full article in Architectural Products here.

The Architect’s Newspaper Showcases WPA’s Approach to Community Engagement

Written by WPA on December 12, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Community, Uncategorized, WPA.

When it comes to design, community engagement doesn’t always get the attention it deserves. Here at Work Program Architects, we believe it’s the foundation of every successful project.

In a recent article for The Architect’s Newspaper, CEO Mel Price and Director of Urban Design Peter Johnston shared how WPA approaches community engagement, emphasizing the importance of building trust, fostering emotional connections, and empowering communities. They write:

When a new building or development is planned in a neighborhood, it is only natural that emotions run high. A new project doesn’t just change the skyline and sightlines, after all; it alters the fabric of communities in a way that can be unnerving for even the most open-minded resident.

In our practice, Work Program Architects (WPA), we work on civic-oriented projects, which often get some pushback from residents and other stakeholders. Each project is different, but collectively they have provided us with valuable insights about complexities of community dynamics and the value of a well-run community engagement plan.

It may be tempting to regard this part of the process as another box to check, but designers and builders can’t afford to treat community engagement as an afterthought. Done wrong, this critical part of the design process can lead to mistrust, opposition, and polarization.

Read the full article in The Architect’s Newspaper here.

TCC Visual Arts and Design Center Featured in Retrofit Magazine

Written by WPA on October 1, 2024. Posted in Adaptive Reuse, Architecture, Downtown Norfolk, Education, Hampton Roads, Higher Education, Norfolk, TCC, Virginia, Visual Arts + Design Center, WPA.

Students have now had a full year in the new Visual Arts and Design Center at Tidewater Community College, but the project is still gaining new fans in the architecture community. The most recent recognition of the adaptive reuse project comes from Retrofit Magazine, which included the center in its package of notable education retrofits.

Located at street level on Boush Street in downtown Norfolk, beneath the 15-story condominium community Harbor Heights, the space now occupied by the Visual Arts and Design Center was previously a grocery store. The new facility was a necessity for the college’s visual arts program, which was forced to borrow space from other departments after electrical issues made its previous home in Portsmouth untenable.

The challenge for WPA was to quickly design, build, and deliver a new visual arts center in the 38,180-square-foot space that could contain the college’s expanding programs, such as graphic design. Despite volatile pandemic pricing and supply chain challenges, the design and build team managed to stay on schedule and within budget, allowing for classes to start in the fall semester of 2023.

The Visual Arts and Design Center was featured alongside The Henry Ford history museum in Dearborn, Mich.; the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C.; and Johns Hopkins University’s adaptive reuse of the Newseum building in Washington, D.C. (which is pictured on the cover of the magazine).

View the full issue here.

Preservation Virginia Recognizes Assembly With ‘Outstanding Preservation Project Award’

Written by WPA on September 17, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Assembly, Awards, Downtown Norfolk, Historic, Norfolk, Preservation, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

Assembly Exterior — Assembly, Norfolk, VA

Assembly, the downtown Norfolk office campus housed in a century-old building, is being awarded The Gabriella Page Outstanding Preservation Project Award by Preservation Virginia. The restored five-story building at 400 Granby Street, which was co-designed by Work Program Architects and Campfire & Co., joins a distinguished list of preservation projects that have been recognized by the organization since 1971.

“The 2024 slate of awardees demonstrates the power of historic preservation in revitalizing communities and sharing stories the general public otherwise may not know,” said Elizabeth S. Kostelny, Preservation Virginia CEO, in a statement. “Historic preservation is a proven economic engine in cities and rural areas, and the stories these places share add understanding to where we came from and where we’re going.”

Assembly actually occupies three historic buildings on Granby: the Ames & Brownley, built in 1919, which became Rice’s Department Store; the Sears & Roebuck building, and an adjacent warehouse. A full restoration brought back the main building’s 1920s appearance, while a thorough renovation of the 50,000-square-foot building introduced public spaces, a five-story open air stairway, shared work areas for the tenant businesses, and a rooftop terrace.

In recognizing the project and a design-build team that includes Commonwealth Preservation Group and Clancy & Theys Construction, Preservation Virginia stated that “Assembly represents visionary and creative preservation of a historic building while adaptively re-using it for modern audiences.”

In addition to housing GROW, a digital innovation agency and the building’s anchor tenant, the office building is home to a number of technology and creative companies, including 757 Startup Studios, Orbis, Affari Project, Have a Good Day, Lynch Mykins, Istoria, RISE (Resilience Innovations) and Work Program Architects.

Historic Ames and Brownley Department Store 1930 — Ames and Brownley Department Store circa 1930

“This is a magnificent building with an incredible history,” said Robert Crawshaw, the project designer for Assembly. “It was so important to us that we preserve that history and its character, even as we prepared the building for its next chapter, as an incubator for creativity and innovation in this region. This award is recognition that we succeeded.”

Assembly is one of five projects to receive the Gabriella Page award this year, joining the Murray-Dick-Fawcett House in Alexandria, The Waterford Mill in Waterford, Old City Hall in Richmond, and The Inn at Foster Falls in Max Meadows. All the recipients will be recognized during a ceremony Friday, September 27, at Main Street Station in Richmond.

Read the full list of recipients here.

WPA’s Open-Books Policy Highlighted in Fast Company Article

Written by WPA on September 14, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA, WPA Studio.

People aren’t supposed to talk about their paychecks with their coworkers, much less other employees’ paychecks. That’s been the accepted wisdom for a very long time. But now some businesses, including Work Program Architects, are challenging that assumption and experimenting with open-books policies in the office. Recently, WPA CEO Mel Price and Associate Principal Erin Agdinaoay shared WPA’s experience with the readers of Fast Company. They write:

Some of the results of our transparency work were expected. The culture of openness built trust. Managers were more likely to trust the staff to be responsible with their time and the firm’s finances, while staff could trust that managers were being honest with them, even if they didn’t agree with every decision.

Pay transparency also helped us keep potential pay disparities in check, which helped foster a culture of belonging. We have found that people specifically seek out WPA as an employer because of our transparency, and that pay transparency, in particular, has contributed to our ability to be more equitable, diverse, and inclusive.

Something else happened that we didn’t expect. By openly sharing information, we were treating everyone like an owner. As a result, we had employees who behaved like owners. We knew, though, that this approach was sustainable only if we actually rewarded our team members with ownership.

Read the full Fast Company article here.

Chrysler Museum of Art Preps New Perry Glass Studio Expansion

Written by WPA on September 10, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Blog, Chrysler Museum, Civic, Glass, Glass Studio, NEON, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

Phase 1 of the new Perry Glass Studio expansion and renovation at the Chrysler Museum of Art in Norfolk is nearing completion. The oven has been fired and university classes and demonstrations have been scheduled for the fall as the builders shift their focus to the renovation of the museum’s original glass studio, the second and final phase of the $55 million project.

The Chrysler recently invited Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander and other city leaders, as well as a number of journalists, to take a sneak peek of the new space alongside Chrysler Director Erik Neil and Perry Glass Studio Manager and Program Director Robin Rogers.

“Everyone at the museum is very excited,” Rogers told WAVY. “We’ve been giving some hard-hat tours, and everyone that’s come through has been thrilled to see the space and just anxious to bring their families and get in here in person.”

The expansion, designed by WPA, features three hot shops, dedicated classrooms and a 200-seat amphitheater theater for teaching and performance. Visitors to the expanded facility will be able to witness the glass-making process, learn the history of glass as an artistic medium, and view the museum’s growing collection of glass art.

“There are only a few of these facilities in the world,” WPA CEO Mel Price told 13 News Now. “So in order to prepare ourselves to really bring an internationally significant building to Norfolk, my partner Thom [White] traveled all over the world to visit the best facilities [and] met with the curators.”

The expansion and renovation are also specifically designed to accommodate the artists who will work at the studio.

“We spent time here,” Mel said. “We took every single class here because we had to know what the artists were experiencing to be able to design.”

The entirety of the 33,000-square-foot Perry Glass Studio is expected to open to the public in early-spring of next year.

Watch the complete segments on WAVY and 13 News Now, and read a full report at The Virginian-Pilot.

CEO Mel Price Talks About Workplace Transparency with Inform Magazine

Written by WPA on August 8, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

Workplace transparency has been central to WPA’s operations since the firm’s founding in 2010. In a recent interview with William Richards for an article about “radical transparency” for Inform Magazine, CEO Mel Price discusses why the firm adopted an open books policy early on, how that decision has shaped the business and whether she and founding partner Thom White have any regrets. Richards writes:

“Back then [in 2010], the economy was shaky and the recovery from the Great Recession was slow-going. It maybe wasn’t an ideal time to try something radical when it came to company finances, but in that moment of uncertainty it was critical to create a culture of trust,” says Price about WPA’s founding.

Today? The firm’s approach to openness appears to be both prescient and also sustainable.

“The recent business climate hasn’t changed our approach to transparency at all and I really can’t imagine any economic situation that would,” she says. “I think the kind of trust between staff and management that true transparency creates is critical in the current moment as well. I can’t say if transparency is right for every firm all the time. But I do believe that if more firms tried, they would see what we have seen and they wouldn’t go back.”

Read the full Inform Magazine article here.

WAVY offers a sneak peek at the new William A. Hunton YMCA in Norfolk

Written by WPA on August 7, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Civic, Hampton Roads, Hunton YMCA, Norfolk, Uncategorized, Virginia, WPA.

The William A. Hunton YMCA and Work Program Architects have revealed designs for a new facility that will support the YMCA’s ongoing role as a resource and safe haven for families living in and around South Hampton Roads. The facility, located at 1045 E. Brambleton Avenue, will also serve as a gateway and key landmark for the transformed St. Paul’s neighborhood in downtown Norfolk.

As WAVY noted in a recent segment on the project, the Hunton YMCA is the oldest independent YMCA and one of four Heritage YMCA’s in the United States, established when People of Color were denied access to other YMCA facilities. The new facility will build on Hunton’s 150-year history, promoting health and wellness while enhancing its continuing mission to provide early childhood education, as well as community meeting spaces and programs to teach life skills.

Highlights of the design include separate areas for upper and lower schools, a library, kitchen and cafetorium, reception, administrative offices, a full-size gymnasium, an outdoor swimming pool, and facilities for health services, seniors, and civic and community gatherings. A private courtyard will embrace an arbor of mature trees and feature a natural playground.

WPA collaborated with community members, as well as Hunton staff and board members, to arrive at the design for the new facility.

The project has been made possible by the sale of the previous Hunton Y to the City of Norfolk, which will be demolishing the old facility to make way for the Blue Greenway, a 22-acre resilience park that will serve the Kindred and St. Paul’s community.

Additional funding will be provided through a capital campaign, which is scheduled to kick off later this year. It is hoped construction can begin in 2025, with completion in 2026.

View the full report from WAVY here.

View the project page here.

Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab Is a Finalist in Fast Company’s 2024 Innovation by Design Awards

Written by WPA on July 23, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Awards, Civic, Elizabeth River, Elizabeth River Project, Environment, ERP, Innovation, Norfolk, Urban Design, Virginia, WPA.

The innovative structure is designed to help the world’s urban coastal residents protect themselves – and nature – as sea levels rise.

The Elizabeth River Project’s Ryan Resilience Lab was recently honored in Fast Company’s Innovation by Design Awards for 2024. The Norfolk project, designed by Work Program Architects (WPA), was recognized as a finalist in the competition’s Urban Design category, alongside the Lynn Wyatt Square for the Performing Arts in Houston. Omaha’s Riverfront Revitalization was this year’s winner in the category.

The Innovation by Design Awards, which can be found online and in the Summer 2024 issue of Fast Company, honor the designers and businesses solving the most crucial problems of today and anticipating the pressing issues of tomorrow. The competition, now in its 13th year, features a range of blue-chip companies, emerging startups, and promising young talent. It is one of the most sought-after design awards in the industry.

The Ryan Resilience Lab was designed by WPA to house operations for the Elizabeth River Project, a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring the Elizabeth River, and to showcase what the future of sustainable coastal living might look like.

“This recognition highlights the importance of this project and the valuable contribution the Elizabeth River Project is making to the restoration, sustainability and resilience of coastal communities around the world,” says WPA CEO Mel Price. “It is also a testament to the hard work that the team at WPA put into this project and the brilliance of the project’s architect, Sam Bowling.”

The lab was intentionally constructed inside a flood zone along one of Norfolk’s busiest commercial corridors and flanked by multiple residential neighborhoods. Inside and out, visitors will find ways to live sustainably and prepare for rising tides. Everything from the floating entry pavilion and storage shed to a “living shoreline” instead of a hardened shore, an 80,000-watt solar energy system, 10 gallons or rainwater collected and re-used in the toilets and a permeable parking lot to keep polluted runoff from reaching the river. Meanwhile, green roofs and walls covered in vegetation reduce runoff and conserve energy in winter and summer.

“This year’s honorees show how essential creativity is to the process of innovation,” said Brendan Vaughan, editor-in-chief of Fast Company. “It’s inspiring to see how some of the best minds across industries are using design to shape our world for the better.”

The judges include renowned designers from a variety of disciplines, business leaders from some of the most innovative companies in the world, and Fast Company’s own writers and editors. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.

Earlier this summer, WPA gathered with the Elizabeth River Project and members of the community to celebrate the opening of the lab. View WTKR coverage of the event here.

CEO Mel Price Interviewed for Authority Magazine

Written by WPA on July 10, 2024. Posted in Architecture, Mel Price, WPA.

WPA co-founder and CEO Mel Price was recently interviewed for Authority Magazine’s series on “successful rulebreakers.” The in-depth conversation covers the experiences and ideas that helped shape WPA at its founding, some of the challenges she and cofounder Thom White have faced in the 14 years since, and the principles that guide the firm as it works to build more resilient communities.

Mel also shared these five strategies that helped the firm succeed while doing things differently:

Know Your Mission and Core Values — The mission and core values that we set for the company in our business plan still hold true today. The vision is something that we are constantly refining with our whole team as we grow together. Without taking the time to set a clear mission and core values, we would not have had a framework for making so many key decisions about what work to take on, who our clients would be, and who would be a great fit for our team.
Be Transparent — The more we share what we know and what we don’t know with others, the more that honesty and transparency pays off. Be clear about what you know, what you have a hunch about but are just testing out in search of an answer, and what you don’t know and need help with. It’s incredible how many people and experts will come to your aid when you are open about needing a little advice.
Listen — Every time I’m faced with a person who is behaving in a way that is challenging, I try to put myself in their shoes and imagine things from their perspective. If I don’t have the lived experience to do this, I ask them to have a conversation with me and I try to focus on asking questions and listening. Once someone can see that you care, there are few problems you can’t solve together.
Trust Yourself — In the early days of my career (and sometime still today), I was often told that I was “too nice” and that people doubted my ability to get things done because of this. After receiving this backhanded compliment a number of times, I looked back and realized that I had prevailed in nearly every situation and I did so without breaking people and organizations. My method admittedly takes more time, but it brings people along with me, and I believe there’s power in that. I trust myself to get things done my way, and I thankfully had the confidence to keep working in a way that was successful for me. I now work hard to help my team develop their self-confidence and a way of working that is authentic to them. There are many ways to accomplish great things.
Follow Through — If you say you are going to do something, do it. I’ve seen more trust built and broken on follow-through and implementation. Trust takes a long time to earn, and a short time to break. Once lost, it takes even longer to earn again. If you dream about being a leader, start by writing down what you commit to, and checking it off your list. You will be recognized by your peers and by leadership in no time.

Read the full interview with Chad Silverstein here.