1. Claude E.
Langley Jr
Design Connect
winter 2016
Arch 249
instructor | pavlina ilieva
Morgan state university
School of Architecture+Planning
BSAED

2. 1912
Sill, Buckner, and Fenhagen win
design competition for the Federal
reserve bank of Richmond and form
their firm.
1960s
Those founders were succeeded by
Richard “Dick” Ayers and Kelsey
Saint, and in the late 1960s, Dick’s son
Richard joined the firm.
1980s
Richard took over from his father and
recruited Adam Gross to the firm.
Ayers Saint Gross began to focus
exclusively on higher education.
1990s
rapid growth and the addition of of-
fices in Washington, DC and Tempe, Ari-
zona. Concurrently, planning, graphic
design, and landscape architecture
were added as disciplines.
2000s
the firm’s portfolio continues to
grow with cultural facilities design
and international planning projects
and followed the baby boom echo to
campuses all over the country.
e a r l y B e g i n n i n g s . . .

3. O f f i c e L i f e
At ayers saint gross’ baltimore branch, the office culture has a very professional, yet
family type of feel. there is extreme collaboration between the various studios (Plan-
ning, Landscape Architecture, Graphic Design, student life, etc.) which is portrayed by
how the office has one main hard drive that everyone uploads work to. office meetings
are also A time for everyone to give an in-depth overview to the entire office about the
work their individuAL studios have been working on.
T h e T e a m
President + Chairman
adam Gross + VP
Prinicipals + studio heads
Luanne greene JIM WHEELER
ADAM GROSS GLENN BIRX ERIC MOSS
ED KOHLS KARLA AGHAJANIAN EARL PURDUE DENNIS LYNCH

4. t y p i c a l d e s i g n P r o c e s s
0
Admin
0
base dATA
observations
1
2
concept Development
3
Precinct studies
4
final Plan
5
Design guidelines
Final report
6
7
Additional services
“ B e a s w i l l i n g t o l e a r n a n d a l w a y s w o r k
t o t h e b e s t o f y o u r a b i l i t y ”
- Amber Rudolph (Mentor)
the pinup board in the asg baltimore office
with a couple plans, diagrams, and renderings
the pinup board in the asg baltimore office
with a couple site plans, and diagrams showing
new vs. old construction

5. “ E n g a g i n g p e o p l e a n d p l a c e s
t o c r e a t e d e s i g n s t h a t e n r i c h
o u r w o r l d ”
How I Spent My Time At Ayers Saint Gross...
Week 1 //
A c t i v i t y L o g
Week 2//
Week 3//
this week was a tour around the ASG office (Baltimore) with my first men-
tor, Amber. shadowing in the planning department gave me much insight
on how the beginning processes of any project is supposed to go. I assisted
amber with cad drawings of Johns Hopkins medical campus and learned a
bit of the firms history in my downtime. thanks to the office secretary,
trina, I was blessed with the opportunity to speak with a gentleman by
the name of Jason, whom is a former employee of asg that ventured out to
do his own work in other fields.
my second week I met my mentor number two, Churchill or Church. Church
worked in the architecture design sector of the asg office, where he
introduced me to many different employees whom would make my experi-
ence the most valuable. I was given the opportunity to sit in a rep meeting
with Armstrong ceilings and walls, thanks to Daniel. I was also given the
opportunity to join church on a meeting about the upcoming cancer hospi-
tal being constructed on johns hopkins medical campus soon. the follow-
ing thursday, I was able to experience a call with long-time clients , and
my first “Lunch and Learn” in the ASG board room, with my mentor amber.
for my last week in the office, i decided on focusing on the new hires,
interns, etc. whom could give me insight on the transition into the
professional world from school, and how to get my foot in the door. I
was assisted by a new hire, Matthew, whom was able to answer questions
and also kind enough to give me pointers on my design portfolio. I was
also assisted by Alvin, whom gave me great advice as far as my portfolio
and the profession in itself. I was given great words of advice from both
gentleman and also pushed to sharpen up my skills, but continue of the
path that i’m following. also, on my last day i was given the opportunity
to show my analysis skills by diagramming site plans for renovations on
the university of south carolina. As a great way to end my externship, I
was treated to lunch by Beresford, a young gem of the ASg Branch, whom
also gave me great insight on his background leading up to the firm and
necessary tips to be successful in the profession.

6. t o o l s / s k i l l s
In the Office, various Production methods are used to accomplish work,
such as...
sketching
a way to quickly investigate a design concept, especially in the
field.
Revit
used to create accurate building designs while minimizing the
time it takes to coordinate and design in a virtual environment.
used for 3D Modeling and rendering. construction documents,
floor plans, elevations, and sections.
sketchup
used for conceptual massing, and quick problem solving. uti-
lized for building non-detailed elevations, perspective views.
autocad
used to develop drawings sets and construction drawings. site
plans and initial design schemes are created in the program,
especially in the planning dept.
Microsoft office suite
used for project goals and for organizing ideas.
adobe creative suite
used for editing of renderings, diagrams, and editing of con-
struction documents.
3d Printing
Used for small and large scale modeling in the office.
O b s e r v a t i o n s . . .
Team Work
- Ayers Saint Gross is extremely open about their belief of teamwork.
this sense of comradery is instilled in all of their employees, and
even portrayed in bold on employee business cards.
- In every department from student life to planning, I witnessed
contributions from everyone when it came time for work to be done.
some team members just focused on their specialty while others had
their hand in everything.
- I was even more amazed to see The higher ups (Principals/studio
heads) treat the other employees as valuable assets to every proj-
ect. also, the consistent interaction with them which created a true
team feeling.
- even layout of the office space that Ayers saint gross has set up is
conducive to a relaxed, yet productive atmosphere.
- the professional communication in the office was very impressive
as well. Every team member was very respectful even in disagree-
ments or minor quarrels over a project.
- Despite the professionalism in the office, there was still much of a
family feel because of the joking and laughter in the studios which
allowed for the workplace to feel less like a job, but collaborating
with friends.
“ t a k e i n i t a t i v e t o
h e l p y o u r t e a m ”
- M a t t h e w D o e l l e r

7. M y M o s t I m p o r t a n t T a k e A w a y s . . .
I gained so much knowledge on the professional world of architecture from this experience!
With the guidance of my mentors and others in the Ayers Saint Gross office I was able to wit-
ness everything in the industry from the early design process to actual projects in the con-
struction stage. I built up an interest in things and programs that I would have never expected
to. This condensed three weeks has already made me a better designer and prepared me to
convey a deeper understanding in future projects! I feel as though being at Ayers Saint Gross
not only opened my eyes to the field of architecture, but to the vast opportunities that work-
ing in such a creative environment can bring. My experiences in the planning department and
architectural design department allowed me to see that I am more interested in the design
(graphic, etc.) of it all more than the technical aspect of the field. Such an environment also
conveyed that collaboration is key in the professional world, unlike in school where you are
working on all projects by your lonesome. I enjoyed working in different disciplines and having
the opportunity to show off my design skills on the various plan and diagram tasks I was given.
I am extremely thankful for this opportunity and hope to join Ayers Saint Gross in the future.
Lastly...
A special thank you to professor Pavlina Illieva, rhiannon pimentel, Trina weathers, Amber Wendland, Chur-
chill banks III, beresford pratt, alvin l. rudolph IV, matthew doeller, corey chang, and the rest of the ayers
saint gross Team for everything!