Our West Shore Theatre project is complete and is now heavily used for live events and movies! More to come on this project in future newsletters but this is a powerful project that has been years in the making. We were asked by AIA PA in 2018 to identify an opportunity in Central PA for pro bono services by architects to make a big impact on a smaller community. We suggested getting involved in the New Cumberland revitalization study that was underway and we led the pro bono effort by AIA PA called Blueprint for Better which in turn led the Friends of the West Shore Theatre to hire CDA for their renovations.

Chris was asked to make a presentation to AIA Philadelphia as part of their Design Dialogues series as one of four firms outside of Philly doing noteworthy work. The presentation was on St Patrick’s Day, so Chris noted the inspiration he takes from his teenage idols U2 in terms of their commitment to social justice issues but also the idea of creativity via a deeply collaborative approach and flat organizational structure. He noted CDA’s deep focus on our clients and walked the audience thru our Elementary Coffee Co. & Harrisburg City Hall renovation projects.

watch presentation >

CDA won our 18th AIA Design Excellence Award at a ceremony last fall in York. The Washington DC jury only recognized five projects from Central PA with awards and our Kazimi Residence was noted as exceptional by a jury of predominantly residential architects. CDA’s design is defined by clean lines, simple massing, restrained cladding, and a simple interior palette that did not try to compete with the beauty of the natural surroundings and the home’s wooded site.

Chris chaired the AIA Gulf States Design Awards jury with Joe Biondo, FAIA and Janice Woodcock, AIA giving design excellence awards to the likes of 2020 AIA Gold Medal winner Marlon Blackwell Architects for the Thaden School Bike Barn. During a long jury in November at Lafayette College in Easton, Chris, Joe, and Janice reviewed hundreds of submissions prior to giving recognition to 20 projects.

As chair of the AIA Central PA Lecture Series with Seth Wentz, Chris organized a lecture by Elizabeth Whittaker, AIA at Armstrong’s corporate campus in Lancaster last November. Beth spoke to a full house (notable since it was our return to in-person lectures after a two-year hiatus) about the work of her Boston firm, MERGE architects. She is crafting spaces and buildings that are original in their approach to materiality and spatial configurations in a way that enriches the lives of her clients and building occupants.

CDA is focused on crafting memorable places often through a rich dialogue between thoughtful contemporary design and historic buildings. Drawing distinctions between the old and the new involves introducing well-designed new architectural elements that invest spaces with a presence of modernity within history. We are based close to the historic Pennsylvania State Capitol Building where we have found fertile ground for new/old architecture. A recent example of this is the West Shore Theatre project where thoroughly modern concessions and flanking support masses have been inserted into a 1940’s movie house to support contemporary programing of the space and the revitalization of a community institution at large, demonstrating how the past and present can enhance each other while serving the needs of 21st-century clients.

Sincerely,

Chris Dawson, AIA, LEED AP BD+C
Principal
Chris Dawson Architect