ABOUT FORM

We’re 20!
Since inception in 2003, FORM has continued to invest in quality over quantity, providing staff with year-round educational opportunities through our FORM University program. Opportunities for designers to flex their creativity are abundant and continue to result in strengthened services. Our ‘work hard, play-harder’ mantra landed FORM on the Washington Business Journal’s Best Places to Work list and has led to the development of various annual events that include family, friends, and clients. It is hard to pick a favorite event, but one thing our team can agree on is that Judy knows how to throw a party! Outside of the office, our community outreach program, Warm with FORM, has aided more than 25 local organizations that benefit causes important to our industry, clients, and individual employees. Similar to our project approach, regardless of whether we are running in a charity 5K or making sandwiches for the homeless, we work as one team, always focused on people.

ABOUT
FORM
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TIMELINE
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THE TEAM

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"I find inspiration for my designs in textures."

MinJae Chong, LEED AP ID+C
Principal, Technical Director

"I draw my inspiration from books. Reading allows me to see the world through different perspective while expanding my own mind and creativity."

Anna Gangsaas, SHRM-CP
Manager, HR and Operations

"I’m inspired by organic movements, like brush strokes on a canvas and flowing water, and apply them to create human motion-oriented designs."

Ana Inestroza
Project Designer

"I’m inspired by experiences. Creating unique and unforgettable experiences in the built-environment has always been my passion."

Hunter McDaniel, NCIDQ
Project Designer

"I find design inspiration in patterns and geometry."

Ronza Rebert, NCIDQ
Senior Associate

"My inspiration comes from life itself. Designs are ever-evolving, and I continue to learn from new experiences as I take in a world of inspiration."

Michael Cipriani, AIA
Principal, Owner

"I'm inspired by my everyday surroundings and how I can do something different to push the design industry to the next level."

Nicole Blunt, NCIDQ, LEED Green Associate
Senior Associate

Matt Gannon
Associate

"I'm inspired by solving problems. I like to face challenges head-on and find creative solutions."

Kimberly Davis
Marketing Manager

“I’m inspired by nature. I love to be out in it, or to bring it inside – whether just an open window or a fresh and fragrant bloom.”

Judy Shaffer, SHRM-CP
Principal, Chief Operating Officer

"My inspiration comes from creating ever-evolving designs."

Rob Wiersberg, AIA
Principal, Owner

“I'm inspired by the challenge of solving complex problems and creating beautiful, effective solutions.”

Madeline Frost
Senior Project Designer

"The great outdoors is where I find my inspiration."

Liz Wimer, IIDA, LEED AP ID+C
Principal, Design Director

"Travel inspires me to expand my design perspective and refresh my creativity."

Marisa Vinson
Associate

"Nothing inspires me more in my work and hobbies than listening to someone talk about something they are truly passionate about."

Kyle Finn
Designer

"Travel inspires me. Finding a fresh perspective and studying the local architecture helps me generate new design ideas."

Kelsey Hutton, NCIDQ
Project Designer

"I draw inspiration from being outdoors and incorporating natural design elements into interior spaces."

Katherine Long
Project Designer

“I draw inspiration from traveling and photography. Both allow me to tap into my creative side and push me out of my comfort zone while experiencing something new.”

Cara Ventura
Project Designer

"I am inspired by people's unique needs and problem solving through design.

Mary Armintrout
Designer

"I’m inspired by the art of brevity, marrying contrasts (especially old and new), and seeing people in their element."

Koren Stauffer, CPSM
Principal, Marketing Director
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THE APPROACH

Unsurpassed Service
+ Superior Design Vision
= Outstanding Results

We view offices as blank design canvases. They are opportunities to visually explore your company’s brand and tell your unique story.  Like our clients, no two designs are the same. Our first step is listening. And falling out of your chair with excitement (here’s looking at you, Rob) means we’re just getting started.

Details gleaned during our initial conversations with you are implemented into our award-winning FORMWORK process which formulates the desired design and shape of your space through research and visioning. Projects are principal lead and receive the same team start-to-finish which ensures a seamless design experience. Our “round table” structure means that your project will also benefit from the collective experience of the entire firm. Within our studio of interiors-focused architects and designers, project knowledge is shared; ideas are developed, traded, critiqued, and refined. We believe this leads to radical solutions that set our designs apart.

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CASE STUDIES

Apex Clean Energy

DESIGN CHALLENGE

Located within the most sustainable, multipurpose mass timber building in the United States, Apex Clean Energy challenged FORM to think beyond Cradle-to-Cradle and provide the safest space possible for their employees.

GOAL

Apex wanted their space to not only inspire minds today but educate those for tomorrow.

SOLUTION

Interior designers used space planning and materials to tell Apex’s story.
To help illustrate Apex’s mission, a grey granite wall in the atrium, representative of fossil fuels, parallels True North, which represents the mission that Apex orients themselves around. The story goes, that the wall is the barrier Apex must overcome, and there are different ways to break through – using the stairs, the portal, or the hallway. This represents Apex’s daily challenges and the many ways they work to overcome them.

 The reception desk shows the juxtaposition of fossil fuels (grey granite) and clean energy (white portion). It shows breaking through traditional energy sources). The white portion also aligns with True North.

 Designers collaborated with the building architect, William McDonough + Partners, to create a lobby skylight which illuminates a stainless-steel, ‘True north’ line across the floor when the sun is overhead.

 

To ensure its success, every piece, down to the sprinkler heads, were modeled using BIM software.
Designers found this step to be crucial as Mass timber construction is still a new concept with few examples to model after.

95% of the interior products specified beyond that were BIFMA or Cradle-to-Cradle certified. To ensure air quality and healthy circulation, more offices, wider hallways, a near hospital grade filtration system, and easy-to-clean surfaces were prescribed.

 

Revealing as much timber as possible while hiding the infrastructure, designers conjured an atmosphere of quiet remove.
While many solutions were deployed, one of the most significant was the team’s response to the above-beam chases being value engineered from their original design. Collectively, the team determined that the infrastructure could still be hidden by running bulkheads around the perimeter at a perfectly calculated angle.

HIRSCHLER

DESIGN CHALLENGE

FORM was challenged to transform modern shell space into an extension of Hirschler’s industrial headquarters.

GOAL

Reinterpret the traditional law firm.

SOLUTION

Designers peeled away excess space, furniture, and noise, leaving only the necessary requirements for a highly functioning space. The office also continues the industrial aesthetic of Hirschler’s Richmond headquarters through a modern D.C. lens.

 By designing around the users’ needs instead of status quo, Hirschler’s new office reinforces their non-competitive culture. Eliminating the association between hierarchy and office size, each lawyer has the same sized office and three furniture layouts to choose from; this adaptable architecture and furniture approach can flex and flow as needs change and workstyles evolve. The best views are shared with the entire office and accessible from the pantry. By leveraging virtual resources, Hirscher further modernized their space by replacing their on-site library and document storage with creative meeting spaces ranging from open, built-in banquettes to enclosed lounge inspired vignettes.

 Glass wall systems help achieve Hirshler’s desire for an approachable, transparent office; however, due to the sensitive nature of their work, this created a layout challenge. Designers responded by strategically placing an accent wall, and wooden doors, allowing them to also function as privacy barriers, and oftentimes art, adding interest along the corridor.   

 Deep purples paired back to earthy natural stone feels sophisticated. Glass Modernus Lama wall systems punctuated with large, wooden doors, are unexpected. Every corner unveils juxtapositions of tradition and modern, which is uniquely Hirschler.

 In addition to honoring their headquarters space, materials help the office seamlessly blend into the existing, adjacent amenity space, giving visiting clients the perception that Hirschler has ownership of the full Penthouse floor.

CAPREIT

DESIGN CHALLENGE

CAPREIT wanted their office to prove that a built environment can positively impact human health and wellbeing. They also desired an industrial space which presented acoustic issues which negated the overall wellness factor of the space.

GOAL

Achieve WELL certification and install the first carbon negative flooring in the Washington D.C. metro area.

SOLUTION

To absorb the sound and layer in warmth, Sound Transmission Class rated partitions were incorporated and lighting was wrapped in Designtex felt. For additional acoustic control, an Arktura ceiling system was installed above the open workstations and Interface carbon neutral carpet tiles, with carbon negative backings, were installed underneath them.

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