Architectural Designers Jonathan Taube, Cody Cummings, and Blake Gifford have found a firm that values art and community with Murphy & Dittenhafer.
Architecture is part art, part engineering, and part storytelling. It’s that story aspect that spoke to Murphy & Dittenhafer Architectural Designer Jonathan Taube as he worked on the design of the Severn Intergenerational Center in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.
The project will house a Boys & Girls Club, full size gymnasium, Teen Club, Senior Activity Center, and exterior art-focused spaces open to the community, among other things. The project became more than just a design for Taube, who helped design a sculptural canopy for the space.
Through the project, Taube brought together his love of art and story to incorporate a hand motif into the canopy. “We were in a pandemic that had instilled a fear of touch,” Taube says, “so at the groundbreaking ceremony we set up a table to photograph anyone’s hands to CNC mill the images into the canopy.”
‘Building heritage’
The encouragement of artistic expression and storytelling is what drew Architectural Designer Cody Cummings to Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects.
“I grew up where a lot of people got into construction,” he says, “but I always liked the more creative than the physical aspect.”
He was intrigued by M&D’s wide portfolio, including The Forum Building in Harrisburg at the Capitol Complex, which he’s been working on almost since he joined the firm nearly three years ago.
“We may be small,” Cummings says, “but we’re not small in our design nature. The firm is open to ideas from everybody, even new hires, and they’re receptive to new ideas.”
Architectural Designer Blake Gifford was also attracted to Murphy & Dittenhafer by its portfolio of work. “If I’m working on making some sort of contribution to society, improving historic structures and building heritage is a great way to serve people and the community.”
Connecting a community
Taube, throughout his time at M&D, has seen the importance of serving an entire community through Architecture.
“A lot of times, Architecture happens to a community instead of with a community,” Taube says. “It’s better when it’s with the community.”
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects has encouraged that sense of community within the firm and on its project sites.
On the Severn International Center, Taube saw M&D come alongside Arundel Community Development Services, Anne Arundel County, and the various community stakeholders to create spaces that would benefit the entire community. The team connected with the Anne Arundel County Arts Council to find grant funding for a mosaic project and a social justice-themed mural.
“We didn’t just create a mural on a wall,” Taube says, “we developed an area for a mural with seating and an area for a mosaic.”
Taube was so personally invested in the Severn Intergenerational Center that he decided to serve on the project’s art committee.
“I really like that as the Architect, we’re representing the client, but we find ways to advocate for the community,” he says.
Working together
That same passion toward building community was evident as M&D worked on the Graham Center for Innovation and Collaboration at Penn State York.
Gifford worked on the Graham Center from start to finish.
“My hands are on every piece of that project,” he says. “Seeing it be so successful to the Penn State Community and local businesses has been great.”
The community-focused mindset isn’t just evident on M&D projects. Since joining M&D nearly three years ago, Cummings has enjoyed what he calls the M&D studio culture. The agency’s open lines of communication and collaborative atmosphere have helped Cummings become a stronger designer.
“We get down to the details of the process we went through,” he says. “We talk through our struggles and challenges, and it helps you as a designer because you learn from others.”
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Instilling responsibility
For Taube, Cummings, and Gifford, the culture of creative expressions and community focus comes with an added sense of trust and responsibility.
“I’ve gained a lot of experience since joining Murphy & Dittenhafer,” Cummings says. “I’ve taken on a lot of responsibility for only being five years out of school.”
Taube has had a similar experience working for the firm.
“They gave me a lot of responsibility early on, put me in front of clients—and not just as a designer in the background,” he says. “I appreciate that they provided me that trust.”
For Gifford, being handed a lot of responsibility early on in his career helped him feel that his work was not only helping him grow as a designer but was also serving his community.
“Being a younger employee, I experienced a lot of early growth here,” Gifford says. “I like my job. It gives me a sense of purpose.”
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.