DMR Dimensions - Winter 2023-2024

WINTER 2023-2024

DIMENSIONS OUR DMR STORY

WE STRIVE TO BE A CAREER INCUBATOR, NOT A BULLET ON A RESUME. WE ASKED SOME OF OUR LEADERS TO PROVE IT. "I have been fortunate enough to have lived and "I grew up in Jersey City, KURT VIERHEILIG PARTNER worked around the world. then headed to college in For the past 15 years at Oklahoma to study the thrilling LLOYD ROSENBERG "I've been DMR, I have been able to world of architecture. It was PRESIDENT & CEO industrious build a team with diverse the start of a lifelong calling to since backgrounds that give divergence and inspired the childhood, us an ability to design culturally- and skill-diverse DMR always having a meaningful projects for our Architects."

"I found my passion for examining clients." home at DMR the smallest details.

FERNANDO immediately ROBLEDO At DMR, this is FRANCIS ASSOCIATE following college REINER celebrated and I can PARTNER graduation. help influence a new "I graduated At the time, generation of similar college in Mexico, I was one of thinkers."

PRADEEP where there was a two female KAPOOR greater emphasis architects. Today PARTNER on construction I lead our staff than many other mentorship “My skills and interests have HENRY OSSI architecture efforts, which ASSOCIATE been celebrated through every programs. At a excitingly step of my 22-year tenure, from place like DMR, includes guiding managing complex design "My business where we create many more projects as Project Manager to degree and such significant women." the creation of two new roles, experience as a designs, these skills including Director of Sustainable general contractor are essential."

Design and later, Chief JANET PINI and business Operating Officer.”

ASSOCIATE administrator makes me the "When I found my way to FASSIL ideal match "My distinct qualifications, ZEWDOU DMR, I also found a place ASSOCIATE to lead DMR's educational and professional, have where my ability to solve construction been contributory to the company’s intricate architectural department, management and embraced in problems was needed. where I guide the pursuit of diverse opportunities.

Today I work exclusively hundreds of In addition to my law degree, I have on complex renovations CHARLES millions of dollars a MBA in Corporate Finance and an to historic buildings in New SARLO of construction." engineering degree."

PARTNER York City. "

PROCESS THAT DELIVERED NEW CARTERET JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL IS COMPLETE

The conclusion of the first school year at the new Carteret Junior High School marked the completion of a process that began years before the new 60,000 SF school opened.

DMR first came on board to help find a suitable location for construction. Space was found on the site of the high school, where DMR determined that the project was feasible by connecting the new facility to the high school by pedestrian bridge.

The team then turned to passing a $37 million public referendum, which funded the new school and upgrades across all district facilities.

Art Room

FIVE-YEAR TOTAL FOR ESSENTIAL SCHOOL UPGRADES EXCEEDS 100 PROJECTS IN 13 DISTRICTS While known for creating advanced education spaces, DMR has also completed nearly 125 projects categorized as essential building upgrades or maintenance needs over the last five years, providing a window into the cyclical facility needs of school districts. Projects in 14 districts valued at $85 million include: • 37 Building Skins • 28 Building Systems • 13 Gyms, Locker Rooms or Fitness Spaces • 10 Auditoriums • 7 Security Upgrades

BAYONNE, CARTERET, EAST ORANGE, EDISON, ELIZABETH, FRANKLIN, GREEN TOWNSHIP, HACKENSACK, HUNTERDON COUNTY, MOONACHIE, NEW BRUNSWICK, PASSAIC AND TENAFLY.

Carteret High School, Carteret CARTERET HACKENSACK TENAFLY

SCHOOLS TURN TO DMR TO REDESIGN ENTRYWAYS TO ADDRESS IDENTITY AND SECURITY

A school’s exterior is an important design feature: it provides a warm welcome, clear wayfinding, and is a preamble for what to expect inside the building. Yet the esteem the entrance builds is only a Nellie K. Parker Elementary School, Hackensack secondary benefit: in a day when security threats are a reality, the challenge of protecting the school community is a critical focus of entryway design. Three education boards have turned to DMR to design entryways that address a variety of security and functionality issues while still being a welcoming focal point.

NJSDA DESIGN-BUILD PROJECT, SECOND IN TWO YEARS, IS OPEN The new Charles and Anna Booker School in Plainfield is open, DMR's second NJSDA design-build project to open in as many years.

The 120,000 SF, K-5 facility, completed on behalf of the New Jersey Schools Development Authority (NJSDA), was completed through a design-build approach.

$100 MILLION WORTH OF PROJECTS IN EDISON TELL THE STORY OF DMR’S PERCEPTIVITY $100 million of upgrades are underway in Edison, representing a multi-year plan to respond to an enrollment increase in New Jersey’s sixth largest municipality.

The design story is one of working with an architect that approaches school design from a holistic perspective, taking into account how construction projects disrupt the existing ecosystem and how these projects often reveal opportunities to improve functionality and programming.

Every square foot of the auditorium at John P. Stevens High School will be renovated, improving functionality, performance and providing advanced education opportunities.

An added benefit of renovations and additions at Thomas Jefferson Middle School is a new functional entrance and courtyard.

At John P. Stevens High School, a 48,000 SF addition of primarily classrooms revealed the opportunity to include more modern programming elements, such as learning stairs.

School 10, Passaic

CREATIVE LAND ARRANGEMENT POWERS CONSTRUCTION OF BLANQUITA B. VALENTI COMMUNITY SCHOOL IN NEW BRUNSWICK

Carteret High School, Carteret CARTERET EAST ORANGE EDISON ELIZABETH HACKENSACK PASSAIC

TEN AUDITORIUM PROJECTS EXPAND PROGRAMS AND OFFERINGS

Ten auditorium renovations are breathing new life into six districts by not only offering the equipment and technology to support advanced technical production and performance space, but also by bringing the often decades-old spaces up to proper compliance.

Three completed auditoriums are now offering advanced musical theatre, sound and lighting programming in refreshed spaces, while seven more on the boards confirm that many districts are facing similar challenges with their auditoriums, most of which also require accessibility upgrades such as lifts or assisted listening devices.

A number of public sector clients have revealed themselves as insightful real estate developers, finding creative land arrangements to power their projects.

This type of innovation has been seen a number of times recently, including in New Brunswick, where an antiquated elementary school became the site of a new cancer center for RWJBarnabas Medical Center and Rutgers Cancer Institute, while a new school was developed on another cityowned site.

In addition to providing educational offerings beyond what the previous facility could, the new Blanquita B. Valenti Community School had at its heart two dynamics that are dominating the real estate landscape: the boom in healthcare-oriented development and the pressure to repurpose sites in the face of redevelopment.

DEVCO, serving as the developer, procured DMR to design the school facility.

BAYONNE EDISON HACKENSACK TENAFLY

ENERGY SAVINGS IMPROVEMENT PLANS FUEL PROJECTS DMR is assisting four districts with projects that will increase energy efficiency through the Energy Savings Improvement Program (ESIP). This approach allows these districts to complete projects without utilizing their capital budget and without an impact to taxpayers, as the projects are funded by the value of energy savings.

PRE-REFERENDUM PLANNING UNDERWAY IN THREE DISTRICTS

With the support of DMR, three New Jersey school districts are in the planning stages of 2024 referendums, seeking to satisfy a range of needs through voter approval. To date, DMR has helped fund more than $250 million of projects through public referendum.

BERGENPAC UNVEILS NEW LOBBY AND VIP AREA

The Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC) unveiled their new lobby and VIP area, a project that reenergized the historic space into a modern backdrop.

Through the use of raw industrial design elements juxtaposed to the existing traditional décor of the former vaudeville theater, DMR's design now better appeals to bergenPAC’s eclectic audience.

RENOVATION TO ESSEX COUNTY COLLEGE LEARNING CENTER & LIBRARY AIMS TO BETTER ENGAGE STUDENTS

Essex County College is moving forward with a renovation of the learning center and library to better support modern ways of studying, receiving tutoring services and collaborating in groups. The space will be transformed through the use of natural light and visual connection.

Concealed clerestory windows will be exposed; glass will separate the two spaces, but maintain visual connection; and the entrance will be expanded into a full storefront, drawing in passersby and displaying the full spectrum of services and opportunities within.

MULTIPLE PRACTICE AREAS HELP RIDGEFIELD REWRITE SCRIPT ON MUNICIPAL SERVICES

Windows along the front facade, in the Council Chambers, provide visual connection to the Ridgefield Nature Preserve to the west.

Windows along the rear facade, in the main lobby, provide an uninterrupted flow to the Wolf Creek tree buffer to the east.

The opening of the new 27,000 SF municipal building in Ridgefield is the next chapter of the borough’s reinvention story with co-author DMR providing innovative planning, public project procurement, architecture and development practices.

Multiple practice areas within the DMR umbrella first completed a feasibility study for the new site and designated it as an area-in-needof-redevelopment, providing the framework for greater flexibility in the procurement process. From there, DMR created a procurement program that allowed the borough to use an alternative to the traditional local public contracts law. Finally, DMR designed the facility, creating a space that drew inspiration from the surrounding topography.

The new municipal building on Shaler Blvd. activates a nearby commercial corridor. The sale of the previous site will pave the way for redevelopment.

PIER PAVILION WILL TRANSFORM WATERFRONT PARK IN CARTERET INTO DINING DESTINATION

At Waterfront Park in Carteret, DMR designed a three-season pavilion on the existing Veteran’s Pier. Already a regional destination, the pavilion fits into a major improvement plan. DMR’s design calls for indoor and outdoor seating, a beverage serving area and a utility kitchen, with roll-up vinyl siding.

IN MIDDLETOWN, RENOVATION REFLECTS SOCIAL IDENTITY OF THE LIBRARY

Resource Center

While libraries have always served as hubs of curiosity and enlightenment, changes in technology, resources and styles have called for many renovations.

DMR's plans at the Middletown Library will soon reshape the facility into a destination that will better serve the social and intellectual needs of the town.

The project will accommodate new and expanded programming space including a makerspace and business skills lab, café/coffee station with a fireplace lounge, and dedicated history, teen, reading and community rooms. The design considered visual connection, existing natural light and overall flexibility.

History Room

DESIGN OF MONTGOMERY MUNICIPAL CENTER, FUELED BY COMMUNITY INPUT, REFLECTS TOWNSHIP’S HISTORY DMR conceived the design of the 62,000 SF Montgomery Municipal Center to reflect the township’s identity as a close-knit suburban community, while providing a new home for the township’s police headquarters, administration and council chambers, and a new branch of the Somerset County Library System. The project was noteworthy in not only its design, hearkening back to old barns and farm structures, but also in its purposes and function, with connected spaces for both county and municipal programs.

Library

More than 200 local residents weighed in on designing the facility to reflect their collective pride as an agricultural community. The design takes cues from agrarian architecture. In the end, the design so closely represented the community’s vision that the building design was incorporated into an updated municipal seal.

Council Chambers

WHO WE ARE WWW.DMRARCHITECTS.COM/ FIRM/CULTURE

WWW.DMRARCHITECTS. COM/DMR-FOUNDATION

New Jersey is the fourth most diverse state in the United States and nowhere is that more evident, or beneficial, than at DMR. There are a total of 26 countries of origin for our staff, an extraordinary representation at a firm of just 45 employees.

Our work has turned our clients into friends.

Through the DMR Foundation, and its many supporters, we are able to fund many civic and philanthropic efforts.

EAST BRUNSWICK ICE RINK HEADS TOWARD CONSTRUCTION

DEMOLITION IS SIGN OF REVITALIZATION ALONG EAST BRUNSWICK ROUTE 18

Demolition on the former “The Wiz” site in East Brunswick began last year, signaling the beginning of an effort to address high vacancy rates along an 88-acre tract of Route 18.

The demolition paved the way for Vermella East Brunswick, a joint venture of Russo Development and River Development Equities. When complete, the project will offer 1,200 luxury units, a transit center, retail, entertainment, hospitality and open space amenities.

Revitalization along the busy corridor, where 100,000 cars pass daily, has long been imagined, with DMR coming on to study 88 acres of the corridor in 2017, ultimately resulting in a number of redevelopment plans, including the initial visions for the Vermella project.

Down the road from Vermella East Brunswick, the project that first signaled DMR’s visions for redevelopment along the busy Route 18, DMR’s concept associated with another redevelopment plan is also moving forward.

On the former Tices property, construction is set to begin on the East Brunswick Ice Rink.

The 84,000 SF, twin-rink arena is expected to function not only as a gathering place for East Brunswick, but also as a revenue source, generating funds through rentals, events and tournaments.

The design offers multiple viewing options, including bleachers, balcony and a raised viewing platform. A large lobby is also expected to be a venue for events beyond ice skating or hockey.

Woodcliff Lake Public Park

DIVERSE PROFESSIONAL PLANNING SERVICES FOR 15 MUNICIPALITIES DEMONSTRATE DMR’S ROBUST SPECIALTIES

DMR is serving more than 15 New Jersey municipalities offering a full complement of professional planning services, including consulting on affordable housing, cannabis zoning, sustainability, major redevelopment projects, and landscape design. The roster of work tells the story of a depth of capabilities and the cohesive planning services DMR provides.

In Verona, DMR was first contracted as its affordable housing planner, beginning a process that ultimately reduced the township’s affordable housing obligation and set into motion a plan for the town to satisfy it. That experience soon led to coming on as the borough planner and completing an analysis of the township’s master plan to confirm that DMR’s future goals aligned with the document. The analysis resulted in recommendations that would improve the town center and rezone two sites totaling almost 20 acres.

In Dunellen, DMR continues to consult on redevelopment, master planning, affordable housing, zoning and climate resiliency, with an underlying theme of focusing on engaging the small, but active, town. Hundreds of members have weighed in on surveys or at public meetings, arriving at a number of meaningful implementations including: the Downtown Vision Plan, the Master Plan Reexamination, the Cannabis Business Public Survey, the Climate Resiliency Plan, zoning changes and new retail opportunities.

A project in Woodcliff Lake is highlighting DMR’s landscape design capabilities, calling for a park that would profoundly change the surrounding neighborhood. The two-acre park is planned for the site previously home to the Galaxy Gardens Nursery.

15+ more investigation studies, redevelopment plans, master plans or consulting projects are ongoing in diverse municipalities including Atlantic Highlands, Chatham, Hackensack, Middletown, North Arlington, Nutley, Paramus, Ridgefield and Rutherford.

One concept for a pedestrian plaza would close three sections of

Concepts also examine how the pedestrian plaza could be

the street to all vehicular traffic and add structures for dining and

activated in the winter, with decorations, holiday markets

entertainment.

and an ice rink.

ON THE BUSY GEORGE STREET IN NEW BRUNSWICK, DMR DESIGNS PEDESTRIAN MALL CONCEPT

For nearly two years during the height of COVID-19, the three-block portion of George Street in New Brunswick was completely closed, first allowing for the numerous restaurants along the main street to provide outdoor dining, but then becoming a lively area that also hosted art shows, football watch parties and live music.

The concept was so successful that the city retained DMR to study what impact a permanent pedestrian mall would have from a logistical and traffic perspective, and to also develop conceptual visions. DMR examined numerous options for the area, with one concept permanently closing the section to all traffic.

PROSPECT PARK BECOMES FIRST NEW JERSEY MUNICIPALITY TO ADOPT COMMUNITY ENERGY PLAN

Prospect Park has become the first municipality to adopt a Community Energy Plan under the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities and Sustainable Jersey Clean Energy Grant Program, an effort to align with the state’s Energy Master Plan.

The borough used its $25,000 grant to retain DMR to prepare the plan, which identifies more than two dozen initiatives that Prospect Park will implement within a five-year period.

COLLABORATIVE PROCESS IN HILLSDALE RESULTS IN CREATIVE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

After two years of collaboration between public officials and residents, Hillsdale approved the Patterson Street Redevelopment Plan last year for the 12acre former Waste Management site.

DMR wrote the redevelopment plan, calling for the developer to provide a 5,000 SF community center, public park and 20 affordable units. It’s a plan that reveals how resident engagement and municipal planning work in tandem to result in customized plans that address unique needs.

AT THEIR ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE, BLUE FOUNDRY BANK HAS CREATED A PLACE WHERE EMPLOYEES WANT TO COME TO WORK

While offering a hybrid model and technology that makes remote engagement possible, more than 65% of the administrative office staff at Blue Foundry Bank continue to work on site every day. Yet the success of their new office space is not just a quantitative story. Employees at Blue Foundry Bank have also called the new office “a very special place,” a place where they “belong” and where they are “super engaged… and having more fun than [they] ever had in [their] entire career.”

The 40,000 SF office demonstrates what physical presence means in the workplace. The design, which purposefully capitalized on every square foot, encourages connectivity and ensures that no matter how an employee chooses to work, there is a stimulating place to do so. The bank routinely hosts leadership development programs, diversity luncheons, employee wellness programs and holiday gatherings, activating these spaces in a meaningful way.

WHERE’S THE PARTY? IT’S IN YOUR LOBBY.

The simple common area for waiting or passing through is no more. Clients of DMR across all sectors continue to call for places that stimulate relationships, whether that’s with employees, customers or even a group of strangers at a social event. From lobbies of municipal buildings to lobbies of ice rinks, from inside bank branches to inside public libraries, more clients are finding their projects are not just buildings, they are representations of culture and community. And, they can be a lot of fun. It’s not simply a place to pass through – it’s a party in the lobby.

Blue Foundry Bank, Lyndhurst, NJ

WELCOME TO HACKENSACK BLUE FOUNDRY BANK

The opening of Blue Foundry Bank at The Shoppes at Print House in Hackensack was the exciting convergence of community and vision for DMR. We are excited to welcome our friends at Blue Foundry to our backyard, a place where we have long envisioned the power of redevelopment.

DMR first began examining the former The Record site in 2015, writing the redevelopment plan that paved the way for The Print House luxury development. In 2021, Blue Foundry Bank was one of the first tenants to sign on to occupy a portion of the 30,000 SF retail component.

PORTFOLIO OF BLUE FOUNDRY BANK BRANCHES APPROACHES 15 By the end of 2023, DMR's portfolio of branch renovations for Blue Foundry Bank will rise to 15.

Five branches - in Chatham, Hoboken, Hackensack, Dunellen and Union - represent expansions into new communities, multiplying their commitment to small business and their impact on the communities they call home.

DMR’s design supports the mission of the bank, with branches being built out to serve more like coworking spaces, with flexible furniture, community tables, coffee and beverage bars and open floor plans.

Hoboken, NJ

Chatham, NJ

RECENT WORK SHOWS HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY IS A BRIGHT SPOT IN MARKETPLACE

DMR is currently working at four of New Jersey's largest healthcare systems: St. Peter’s University Hospital, Hunterdon Healthcare, Valley Hospital and Hackensack Meridian Health.

Hunterdon Healthcare

Five projects, addressing equipment upgrades, operational needs and a focus shift to a higher degree of attention to the patient experience, include: • St. Peter's University Hospital, Cardiology Department • St. Peter's University Hospital, Department of Surgery • Hunterdon Healthcare, Heart and Vascular Center • Valley Hospital, Primary Urgent Care Center • Palisades Medical Center, Lobby

DMR TAKES UNIQUE APPROACHES TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS

The Residences at Upper Saddle River is a 70-unit community on eight acres, adjacent to undisturbed wetlands.

The Ted R. Green Senior Residences in East Orange is a 60-unit facility built on an assemblage of four parcels in one of New Jersey’s most populated areas.

DMR has worked within numerous municipalities in New Jersey to design affordable housing solutions that become points of pride, including two projects that have recently opened: one with the East Orange Housing Authority and its partners and another in Upper Saddle River for the Bergen County Housing Development Corporation.

Recognizing there is no one-size-fits-all solution to affordable housing or for inviting senior residents to age in place, DMR's designs for each project responded in a way that uniquely reflects each community.

CONSTRUCTION CONTINUES ON ALLENDALE RESIDENTIAL PROJECT WITH THE HAMPSHIRE GROUP Construction is ongoing at the development that will bring 70 residential units to Allendale this year.

DMR worked with The Hampshire Group to design the facility to ensure aesthetic and proportional cohesiveness for the building, which is being built concurrently with an adjacent community center.

Six units will be designated as affordable housing and three units will be set aside for first responders.

DAYCARE DESIGNED FOR HOLY NAME HOSPITAL DMR designed a daycare center for Holy Name Hospital which will bring a 16,000 SF new child care facility to the Teaneck campus. The construction of the project is part of a greater expansion plan that will include hospital buildings, medical office buildings and parking.

IN MIDDLETOWN, DMR DESIGNS DEDICATED HOUSING FOR VETERAN POPULATION DMR designed a 22,000 SF veteran’s housing facility in Middletown, a town with one of New Jersey’s largest veteran populations.

The project will offer 12 units on previously abandoned land, in an area known locally as Campbell’s Junction, a growing commercial center close to main transportation routes.

FOURTH AND FINAL BUILDING AT THE GRANDE AT METRO PARK IN WOODBRIDGE IS COMPLETE The final phase of The Grande at Metro Park, a 356-unit, four building rental community, is complete. The design and construction of the project occurred over several years, through numerous changes in the marketplace, trends in residential design and how apartments function in a postpandemic world.

COMPLETION NEARS ON BUILDING 1 AT RIVER PARK TOWN CENTER IN HANOVER, THE FIRST PHASE OF 88-ACRE PROJECT Building 1, the first of eleven buildings at River Park Town Center, will open this year.

The completion of the building not only marks the opening of the first 81 residential units on site, but also celebrates the end of the first phase of an 88-acre project that called upon both DMR’s professional planners and residential designers. The project ultimately calls for 967 residential units, 80,000 SF of retail, two 125-room extended stay hotels, an outdoor amphitheater, and passive outdoor areas and trails along Patriot’s Path, a regional trail system.

Located within walking distance of the headquarters of companies such as Bayer, MetLife and Novartis, the project will have a major impact on the area that currently lacks a downtown, changing both the retail and economic landscape through hundreds of new residents and many new retail, entertainment and hospitality options.

INTRODUCING DMR NY

DMR has opened DMR NY Architects (DMR NY) to accommodate our growing business in The Empire State.

Pradeep Kapoor, AIA, will lead the DMR NY team as President with the support of partners Lloyd Rosenberg, AIA and Kurt Vierheilig, AIA. For more information on DMR NY, visit www.dmr-ny.com.

DMR’s dynamic growth outside of New Jersey has been bolstered by our services to the New York City School Construction Authority, where we have more than 50 active projects and have completed 300+ more, representing more than $1 billion in infrastructure improvements.

PS 269K, Brooklyn

PS 600M, New York

PS 226X, Bronx

PS 81M, New York

PS 600R, Staten Island

PS 135Q, Queens

JHS 162K, Brooklyn

PS 458K, Brooklyn

PS 40Q, Queens