by CHRISTOPHER LADD, AIA, NCARB, Vice President | Co-Founder | Managing Principal, Ci Design, Inc.
It's been an incredible year here at Ci Design. From breaking ground on several long-anticipated projects to ribbon-cutting ceremonies for others, opening a new office in the DC metro area, and expanding our team across all functions, this year has been full of milestones for the firm.
Read on for highlights from the year.
CI OPENED ITS NEWEST OFFICE IN THE DC METRO AREA
Ci Design opened its newest office in the DC metro area this year. The new office, located on the tenth floor of 4040 Fairfax Drive in Arlington, Virginia, supports our firm’s markets in commercial development, industrial, and science and technology.
With several projects already underway in Alexandria, Fairfax, Richmond, and Fredericksburg, Virginia, Ci has established itself as a leader in the DC metro area. The office’s location in Arlington’s prominent Ballston neighborhood also offers Ci an opportunity to strengthen and expand our science and technology practice in the region.
The opening of the DC metro area office and the strong leadership team located there reflects our recent successes and our commitment to providing exceptional support to our clients in the region.
CI CONTINUED TO EXPAND ITS TEAM
Ci’s team has experienced incredible growth in 2022. With new hires and employee promotions across functions, we have expanded our teams in each of our office locations and exponentially increased the firm’s capabilities.
Ci would like to congratulate and recognize the following promotions in 2022. David Marcozzi and Annette Popp have been promoted to Associate Principal. Daria Bukesova, Lauren Gallagher, John Hubbard, Christian Larsen, and Mariela Stoyanova have been promoted to Associate. Grace Goodearl has been promoted to Business Development and Marketing Manager.
We have also strengthened our landscape architecture practice with the recent addition of Jonathan Parsons, PLA, LEED AP BD+C, GRP to the firm as Principal. Parsons brings over 20 years of professional design experience focused on creating exterior environments that balance sustainability and innovation. (Read more about Jonathan Parsons here.)
AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Ci Design was recognized at the 2022 Boston Business Journal’s Fast50 Awards, which celebrates the top fifty fastest-growing private companies in Massachusetts. Ci was one of two architecture firms in attendance and placed 33rd overall. The standing was calculated by revenue growth over the. past three years. (Read more here about the award here.)
Ci was awarded “Most Innovative” at the IIDA New England Fashion Show. This year’s theme was “EMERGE” and our two looks were recognized for their innovation among the participating 22 Design Firms and Colleges.
A LOOK BACK AT OUR COMMERCIAL PROJECTS
We broke ground on a number of significant mixed-use and multi-family projects this year.
Construction is underway at CenterPoint, a substantial 23-acre mixed-use community in Wilmington, NC. The development, which will support the area’s recent influx of residents, will include 351 upscale rental homes, 100,000 square feet of retail shops and restaurants, class A office space, and a hotel. It will also feature open park space, parking, and walking trails.
Aura Chapel Hill, a 360-unit multi-family mixed-use development, is situated on a 15-acre site in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The development includes a 12,000 square foot two-story volume club house & leasing office, resort style amenities & pool deck, a public park, a plaza and walking/biking trail, 44 brownstones, 7 live/work units and 12,000 SF of retail shops.
Aura Farrington 54, located in Durham, North Carolina, is a 250-unit multi-family development situated on a 7-acre site. The project includes a 10,000 square foot two-story volume club house & leasing office, resort style pool, courtyards, and a dog park.
Additionally, we’ve seen a significant amount of progress in the construction of the North Hills Expansion project, which includes 120,000 square feet of retail and restaurants, 300,000 square feet of office space, 460 residential units, and an expanded parking podium in Raleigh, NC.
Ci’s design for 5810 York Road in Baltimore, completed in partnership with MCB Real Estate and Junica Properties, was featured in the Baltimore Business Journal. The project consists of a six-story apartment building with 73 units, two retail buildings, and a shared courtyard space. “Members of the Urban Design and Architectural Advisory Panel (UDAAP) generally praised the York Road project, saying the project's design was clear and efficient and makes good use of previously unused space on an oddly shaped lot.” (Read the full article in Baltimore Business Journal here.)
NOTABLE SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY PROJECTS
As part of Ci’s recent acquisition of Fishbrook Design Studio (read about the acquisition here), Ci is thrilled to bring this 11-story 390,000 square foot LEED Certified Laboratory building project completely in house. Originally, Fishbrook was the architect of record for the base building, while Ci acted as the experts on interior laboratory and office fit outs. The project also includes amenity spaces such as a café/bistro, conference resource center, climbing wall and fitness center and wellness rooms. The project has been approved by the Planning and Zoning Commission and we are looking forward to seeing the entirety of this project through construction at Ci Design.
Ci completed our third manufacturing facility for Puritan Medical Products Co. Located in Tennessee, this facility consisted of 340,000 square feet of cGMP manufacturing space.
Our in-house lab planners, architects, and interiors teams worked with Outshine Properties to design 165,000 square feet of lab, office, and amenity space for future life science tenants at 690 Canton in Westwood, MA. The move-in ready R&D suites range from 5,000 to 27,000 square feet.
Construction is underway on a new 114,000 square foot Manufacturing, Lab, Office, and Warehouse building for international animal healthcare leader, IDEXX.
Ci completed a 29,000 square foot modern workplace for surgical robotics company, Vicarious Surgical. The project includes a welcoming lobby/reception, open office for software, R&D, and hardware engineering. To foster a collaborative work environment, an array of seating and touchdown points were also included in the design.
CI JOINED OTHER INDUSTRY LEADERS AT EVENTS
Ci participated in several important industry events throughout the year where we fostered strong partnerships and learned from other industry leaders.
The team attended and exhibited at multiple ICSC conferences, including the Carolinas, Las Vegas, Florida, Mid-Atlantic, New York and Centerbuild.
The team attended multiple ISPE shows including the Annual Product Show at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, MA, the Life Science Technology Conference in Raleigh, NC, and the Facilities of the Future Conference in North Bethesda, MD.
Additionally, the Ci team moderated two Bisnow panels. Principal Chris Bauer, Assoc. AIA, moderated a panel on design, amenities, trends, and strategies in the multi-family market in Raleigh-Durham (learn more here), while Ci Principal Matt Juros, AIA, NCARB, moderated a panel on the Future of Life Sciences at the Cambridge State of the Market (learn more here).
CI CELEBRATES
Ci welcomed guests to open houses at our Boston office in April (see photos here) and our Raleigh office in November.
Ci also enjoyed a classic crabfest in Baltimore, dinner on the harbor in Boston, and hit the driving range in Raleigh for our annual summer outings.
THE WRAP-UP
This year has been an exciting one for Ci Design. We are proud of what our firm has accomplished, and we are confident that our continuous effort to grow, both internally and in expanding our markets and partnerships, will bring about even more success in the years to come.
So, what’s next for Ci Design in 2023? Stay tuned to find out!