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KGP design studio
WASHINGTON, DC
Residential buildings might be a small portion of KGP Design Studio's
portfolio—the award-winning firm mostly focuses on civic and infrastructure
structures—but no matter the project, Don Paine and his team are careful to
balance private and public spaces. This deep-seated behavioral instinct for
"refuge and promontory" is a theme throughout all of KGP's work, as is the
idea that architecture is an experience, not an object. For example, a well-
designed residential porch not only passively enhances the conditioning and
natural lighting of an interior space, but enhances an occupant's interactions
with their surroundings, be they an ocean view or a friendly neighbor.
This pragmatic and performance-based—rather than style-driven—approach
places a high demand on innovation, often with exciting outcomes in
the application of materials, fabrication, and their uses. It emphasizes
architecture as a series of mailable transitions that define how we experience
the physical or social realm. How its buildings relate to the environment is
also a priority for KGP, which acknowledges an overwhelming obligation to
ensure that a project is a sustainable contribution to the built environment
and enables, or better yet, motivates its users to live a sustainable lifestyle.
