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A residential unit with a portion of the counter used for working from home and the author's photo.
Making Work From Home…Work 2560 1450 DMR Architects

Making Work From Home…Work

Maybe at first it was your kitchen counter. Or your living room with the TV on mute. Or even your bedroom using your bookcase as background for a Zoom Meeting. This is the new normal – working from home during the COVID Pandemic.

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Architectural plans on a desk and the author's photo.
Public Infrastructure Procurement: A Whole New Ball Game? 2560 1450 DMR Architects

Public Infrastructure Procurement: A Whole New Ball Game?

New Jersey’s public contracts laws date back to 1917 at the time when Ty Cobb was the highest paid major league baseball player with an annual salary of $20,000.   While there has certainly been revisions to the law, as to how public projects are procured, the underlying basis over the last 100 years has remained the same, that being a low bid, competitive process.

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A magazine page shows article headline and the author's photo.
Municipalities and P3: Diving Into the Innovative Economy 1045 592 DMR Architects

Municipalities and P3: Diving Into the Innovative Economy

Municipalities have the ability to be innovative and creative in addressing their infrastructure capital needs as a result of the newly enacted Public Private Partnership Law (PPP or P3).

This article originally appeared in New Jersey Municipalities.

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A zoning map of a portion of Hackensack, NJ along with the author's photo.
Hackensack: A Redevelopment 1045 592 DMR Architects

Hackensack: A Redevelopment

As densely populated as New Jersey is and as much development as we have seen over the last decade, there remain many once thriving communities struggling to regain relevance. Like many of these proud communities, Hackensack’s fate was sealed back in the 1970’s.

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A screenshot of a building model in Revit, a design software that allows for the highest level of integration in building design, speeding up the process and minimizing errors.
25 Years later, Building is the Same, but Serving Builders is Very Different 1045 592 DMR Architects

25 Years later, Building is the Same, but Serving Builders is Very Different

I’ve been with DMR Architects for 23 years, recently becoming a partner in the now 25-year-old firm. This milestone inspired reflection about the architecture industry. For the most part, how buildings are being built is the same. Design-build projects and some new equipment provide a means to go a little faster, perhaps, but building is still all about the steel, sheetrock, concrete, wood and bricks.

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The Meadowlands YMCA captured by a drone. The author's photo is also included.
Architecture in 2017: Sophisticated Services in a Complex Environment 1045 592 DMR Architects

Architecture in 2017: Sophisticated Services in a Complex Environment

Architecture is a continually stimulating profession, especially for the firm’s owner who addresses complexities in various industries in delivering the service.

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A large building, several hundred thousand square feet in size, under construction. The author's photo is also included.
Timing and Process Is Key in Development Projects 1045 592 DMR Architects

Timing and Process Is Key in Development Projects

Delays in construction projects can be costly—but perhaps the most expensive delays are the ones that occur before construction even begins. Materials and labor costs continue to rise in the economic expansion, and the cost of projects can increase from 10-20% from the time they are approved to the time construction begins.

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DMR Architects' six partners gather for a photo.
Making Partner 1045 592 DMR Architects

Making Partner

The firm I founded in 1991, DMR Architects, belongs to six of us a result of naming the first of what I expect will be many partners. The profession of architecture has spawned many compensation structures and equity arrangements, but it is probably fair to say that if a firm is going to invite partnership, it does so sooner than 25 years. So why now?

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A healthcare office showing an equipment room and the adjacent patient services area. The author’s photo is also included.
Six Factors to Consider When Making Healthcare Build/Retrofit Decisions 1045 592 DMR Architects

Six Factors to Consider When Making Healthcare Build/Retrofit Decisions

Finance leaders in the healthcare sector should be aware that the actual budget for adding to an existing building can far exceed the contractor’s bid once additional costs are adde

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