KD2 Architects

06/21/2024

04/18/2024

It's been an honor to have had a seat at the table to witness our clients reach milestones in their businesses for the past 16 years.

Then there was that time we had a chance to sit on both sides of that table, and then never really thought to talk about it.

03/02/2023

If you're not connected with us on insta as well, you're formally invited! We peel back the wallpaper a little more over there. 🙃

36 Likes, 4 Comments - KD2 Architects () on Instagram: "Dressed and ready for its Grand Opening.💥 We’re happy to have played a role in bringing thi..."

07/20/2022

We had a great time playing our role bringing Polestar to Jersey! Its first location in the region, this brand does an excellent job designing the customer experience so that it's on par with the quality and detail of its product.

And now we're off to help expand this EV company to its next location! 🥳

07/07/2022

We design so that our clients can best perform their most critical operations.

In the case of laboratories, that means complying with cGMP (Current Good Manufacturing Practices) to control contamination. Some examples include ensuring positive air pressure so that air flows out of clean rooms – and not in – when doors are opened, poured epoxy floors with an integrated base so there are no seams, steel work surfaces, and high-performance ceiling tiles that are rated specifically for clean rooms.

This summer we’ll be working with Puresyn Inc. in Malvern PA to expand their nearly 30,000 sf facility to include more ISO7 clean room areas for the manufacturing of high-quality plasmid DNA.

We’ve had the pleasure of helping with their past two expansions, some of which is pictured here.

06/15/2022

While Kd2 is licensed in seven states, this project was our first foray into West Virginia!

Located across the street from the north end zone of Marshall University’s football stadium, TerraLeaf recently opened their new 5,200 sf cannabis dispensary and community education center. Previously a theatre, warehouse, and most recently a frame shop, it was completely gutted for this new layout.

We are excited to be working with them again on their next location, this time across the river in Proctorville OH.

05/20/2022

It's beginning to look a lot like....finished! Final touches on this shiny new dealership is what's up. 🚘

While we always work within a brand's image program, each location has design elements that are driven by (pun totally intended) its unique individual needs. At this location, trucks are big business, and their service bay had to support.

Here we nearly tripled the percentage of truck lifts (20,000-30,000lb capacity) we typically allocate, which meant an adjustment in the concrete slab depth over half the area.

Concrete slabs, and everything else by Milnes Engineering, Construction & Surveying 😊

11/01/2021

As the MLB season wraps up this week we’re looking back at our work with Somerset Patriots Baseball this past off-season. Specifically this new 4,500 SF batting cage. Pics start with the finished product, and build in reverse.

And as we type, we’re in the design phase for more upgrades that’ll be ready for the first pitch next season! ⚾

09/30/2021

Designing to code is the name of the game in this biz. Nothing – NOTHING – is specified or drawn that hasn’t been influenced by a building code along the way. 🥳

An easy example:

To maximize visibility into their showroom from the exterior window, our client wanted a staircase that was open underneath. Naturally that meant parts of the underside would be lower than 6’8”, potentially creating a bumping-of-the-head hazard for the visually impaired.

ADA codes require that in circumstances where built structure is suspended so that it might encroach on a person’s head clearance, a warning structure must be built anywhere up to 27” from the finished floor (so that the sweep of a long cane can hit it.)

In other words, you need something low to warn you something might be overhead.

The solution in our case was to create a 7” concrete pedestal for the entire staircase. Seven inches is (by code!) the maximum height of a stair riser, so this pedestal could also serve as the bottom step of the flight. Matching concrete treads, metal mesh risers, and a custom metal and glass rail system complete this functional and sharp showroom showcase piece!

Can you spot any of the other code compliances in this photo?! Be careful if you spot them all… we just might offer you a job!😁

09/16/2021

Demolitions are always a lesson in history, but this one gives us pause.

Over 120 years of life in this wall. These bricks were most likely brought to the site by horse and buggy, and the extensive labor required for the lath and plaster walls would not be relieved by the invention of drywall for another 50 years.

This house was designed and built by tradesmen generations before us. People who had skills and talents and pride in their craft, just as we have today. They most likely had debates about the best way to do each detail, had setbacks and were forced to make unexpected changes on the fly, talked and joked as they worked, just as we do today.

What we don’t know was whether they ever foresaw the time, far in the future, when a demo crew would have to remove what they worked so hard to build. Could they have imagined that when the time came, professionals in 2021 would marvel at the quality of their craftsmanship? Did they know one day it would show up on Facebook? 😉

It's not every day our work gives us the humbling opportunity to think about those who stood on this very site long before us, designing and building with a vision for the future, just as we’re doing now.

09/09/2021

Honoring the historic stone wall surrounding the property was a must when designing Bryn Mawr Medical Specialists Association’s new home, so finding a similar stone to incorporate in the façade was the starting point in the process (Thanks Coal Building Supply LLC! ) Coordinating EIFS, brick and curtain wall button up the exterior of this recently opened 20,700 sf medical office building.

The harmonization of new and historic is demonstrated by the painted steel structure supporting a portion of the wall. This reinforcement was required to preserve the integrity of the wall after the previously attached carriage house was removed (the small cutouts shown in the wall once served as windows to the house.)

The interior currently hosts three practices, and our interior work continues as new tenants will soon fill the remaining space.

08/27/2021

We loved being part of the team responsible for the new Lamborghini Greenwich.

An irregularly shaped corner lot (read: inherent design challenges!) required creative design solutions (read: an architect’s jam!) for this two-story, 8,700 sf showroom and service center. Opened January 2021.

Owner: RDS Automotive Group
Construction: Gabriel Building Group
Photography: Darren Setlow Photography LLC