Responsible Design
"The architect's responsibility to society to do what is good for society by identifying the community's needs and meeting those needs in meaningful and innovative ways.” Those words by Salo Levinas, Shinberg.Levinas’s principal, sum up the concept of Responsible Design that our firm practices. These are the principles of Responsible Design that guide our work:
Responsible Design Provides Value
We have a duty to respect our client’s budget, providing a beautiful, well-functioning building within the financial limits of the project.
Providing value goes beyond staying within the budget; it encompasses all the costs and benefits due to our design decisions over the lifetime of a building.
Thoughtfully designed buildings enhance the value of a space.
Responsible Design Prioritizes Sustainability
Buildings should be designed to reduce resource use and prevent waste as much as possible.
Sourcing locally available materials is generally better for the environment, resulting in savings on fuel, emissions, and damage of goods during shipment.
Using local trade labor supports local business and the local economy and, in the long term, creates relationships that can bring the community closer together.
Responsible Design Emphasizes Comfort, Usability, and Health
Buildings should incorporate the principles of universal design so they are welcoming and inherently accessible to all building users.
Buildings should promote the comfort, productivity, and health of their users.
Responsible Design Promotes the Growth of Design Knowledge
We must remain humble and open-minded, always seeking to learn, so we can become better designers.
We must be not only learners, but also teachers, working to help the field of architecture grow and evolve.
Responsible Design Embraces the Local Community
We engage and listen to the communities we design for so we can create spaces that meet their needs and are welcoming to all, inspirational, and points of pride for their neighborhoods.
We prioritize doing pro bono work that benefits the community, supporting local organizations, and being active in our community.
See below for some examples of how we have put Responsible Design into practice in the community.
New Digital Library Opens in Cartagena, Colombia
We’re happy we were able to contribute to the pro bono project for a new digital library at the Institución Educativa Villas de Aranjuez in the Bicentenario Megabarrio in Cartagena, Colombia.
Interview Series with Prominent Architects
Our principal, Salo Levinas, recently partnered with LA.IDEA|DC on an interview series in which Salo posed a question each month to three prominent architects. Read their answers here.
IDEA Academy PCS Mural
We all love a wall mural, and this one is no exception. A group of students at IDEA Academy Public Charter School, located in Washington DC, decided to get creative by painting a mural on one of the building's walls. Using bright colors and geometric shapes, they transformed it into a true masterpiece!
Bowser-Muyshont Library in San Salvador, El Salvador Opens
We are thrilled to announce the opening of the Bowser-Muyshondt Library in San Salvador. This project was completed in collaboration with local San Salvador architect Guillermo Altamirando and artists, and it aims to serve the underprivileged surrounding community, as it was designed to facilitate accessible learning.
Breaking Ground for New Public Library in El Salvador
Shinberg.Levinas Architectural Design announces the official groundbreaking and the construction of the Bowser-Muyshondt library in San Salvador, El Salvador! The Bowser-Muyshondt Library will be 3,500 sf and aims to serve the underprivileged community of San Salvador.
Salo Kicks Off Lecture Series on Responsible Architecture at Montgomery College
Salo Levinas of Shinberg.Levinas Architects was invited by the Montgomery College Architecture Club to present a lecture on Responsible Design. Through its Distinguished Guest Lecture Series and other programs that bring visiting artists to the College, students are given exceptional opportunities to work with and learn from distinguished professionals and scholars.
DCBIA Holiday Event At Benning Terrace Recreation Center
Volunteering at DCBIA Holiday Event at Benning Terrace Recreation Center
Anacostia Rales Dedication
Thrilled to have @DMEforDC Jennifer Niles, keynote @JohnBKing, @MCNBuild and the @DCPrep family at this week's Anacostia Rales Dedication!
First Grade Students Visit Rocketship 2 Construction Site
Construction workers are getting younger and younger every day... Yesterday’s Shinberg.Levinas Architects and MCN Build presentation & walkthrough of Rocketship 2 jobsite to a very discerning group… first-graders from an Arlington County school.
Salo Levinas Speaker At XVI BA 17
Salo Levinas was invited by the Bienal Internacional de Arquitectura de Buenos Aires (XVI BA17) to present his session "Sustainable Architecture."
Salo Levinas’ Talk At Perspective USA 2017 – The Plan Magazine
Salo Levinas was invited by The Plan Magazine to participate in the two-day international architecture forum: Perspective USA 2017. The forum includes participation of high-quality speakers and firms including David Piscuskas, FAIA, LEED AP, President of AIA New York City Chapter; Kai-Uwe Bergmann, Partnet at BIG, Rafael Viñoly Architects ; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM); and many others.
Salo Levinas, Panelist At The National Museum Of African American History & Culture
Salo Levinas was invited by the DC Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce to be a panelist at a discussion of race and economic opportunity with a diverse group of Washington D.C. and Boston business leaders at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture.
Prince George’s County Public School’s Students At The Shakespeare Theater
Shinberg.Levinas Architects invited a group of students and parents from Prince George's County Public Schools to attend the musical production: "The Secret Garden" at the Sidney Harman Hall in Washington, DC. Parents and students from low income families had the opportunity to enjoy a fantastic musical. For some, this was their first time attending a Theater show.
Montgomery County Hispanic Gala
For the second year in a row, Shinberg.Levinas Architects joined a group of organizations to assist youth students of Montgomery County reaching the dream of higher education.
Montgomery County’s PARK(ing) Day
Shinberg.Levinas Architects participated in Montgomery County’s PARK(ing) Day event transforming two parking spaces into a community park that called attention to the need of more urban open space and reflected on the state of the environment. Shinberg.Levinas converted two parking spaces located between Elm St and Bethesda Ave (in front of Barnes & Nobles in Downtown Bethesda) into an island of plywood seating structures, contained between bamboo groves at either end.
Hispanic Leader In Architecture Award
Salo Levinas was selected as the recipient of The Hispanic Leader in Architecture Award at the GWHCC 40th Annual Gala: Honoring Hispanic Business in Construction. The award recognized Salo Levinas and Shinberg.Levinas' architectural work and philanthropy impact on the urban culture and Hispanic community.
Paul PCS Students Tour Holocaust Museum
Thanks to the generosity of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Shinberg.Levinas was able to take a group of students from Paul Public Charter School to the museum for a tour guided by museum staff.
Shinberg.Levinas Sponsors Hispanic Students
Shinberg.Levinas Architects joined a group of organizations to assist youth students of Montgomery County reaching the dream of higher education. The Montgomery County Executive Hispanic Gala fund-raised grant scholarships to over 60 students from Montgomery County. The event brought together elected officials, the business community, and the Hispanic community to support and promote higher education for the young generation.
FOCUS Gala
We are delighted for supporting FOCUS’s Gala. Shinberg.Levinas is a longstanding supporter of DC’s public charter schools. We are committed to contribute to DC Charter Schools efforts to improve the lives of tens of thousands of DC students and for making the city a better place to live. The Gala was hosted at the Whittemore House.
Music Experience At Georgetown University
A group of Paul Public Charter School students had a fascinating opportunity to watch a rehearsal of the Georgetown University Orchestra, and see how the concert was shaped and polished by Music Director Angel Gil-Ordóñez and the musicians.