William J. Bonstra, FAIA, LEED AP Chair of MAPP’s Board of Visitors & Involvement as a Recognized Design Leader. Over his 40 year participation as a dedicated alumnus, Bill has been a demonstrated design leader and advocate to The University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (MAPP). He was named  Chair of MAPP’s

We are thrilled to share the news that 6 of our projects completed in the past year have been recognized with various industry awards from the AIA DC and Northern Virginia Chapters and NAIOP DC | MD. Congratulations to our clients, consultants and talented B|HA team members, and to our general contractors for executing these projects!

In addition to a successful return to in-person collaboration for our team, we are fortunate to have a new group of talented individuals join our design studio since the beginning of the summer. Please join us in welcoming our newest team members, Andrew Mazer, Eli Perez, Irmak Fermen, and our interns, Oliver Church, Mason Reinhart, Madison Hollowell, and Stephen Leichty.

After 15 months of predominantly remote collaboration, we are thrilled to warmly and safely welcome our teammates and friends back together. We kicked off with a backyard party to reconnect our entire team with a face-to-face celebration as we have emerged from our pandemic hibernation.

We are proud of our resilient and tenacious team that continues to provide the highest level of design and service to with our clients, consultants, and construction professionals. The challenges we overcame together during the past 15 months taught us valuable lessons, and we are emerging stronger and better-equipped moving into our next chapter.

Over the past few months, we have seen the Coronavirus pandemic take the world by surprise. We believe the current health situation is one of our greatest challenges to our a nation – personally and professionally. The health and safety of our team members, their families, our clients, friends and colleagues remain foremost in our minds and greatly influence our decisions. The COVID-19 pandemic has created an uncertain health environment, and created unexpected challenges for our community. The Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS team extends our heartfelt feelings to those suffering illness or loss, and the anxiety about the future. By following sound practices and guidance from expert health professionals, exercising patience in trying times, and caring for each other, we will eventually overcome our current circumstance.

We are continuing our operations remotely, effective until we can safely return to our office. We are fortunate that our services can be provided through our computers, networks, team communication platforms and phones. As we monitor the constantly changing health and safety situation, we will keep you informed of operations in our office.

Across federal and local jurisdictions in the region, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS has obtained community support and approvals on projects that require careful analysis and design solutions responding to unique urban conditions, while maximizing value for our clients. With over 150 entitlements awarded on more than 75 projects, we maintain a 100% approval rate. Most recently, B|HA worked closely with the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning, the Bethesda Board of Architectural Review and the Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB) on projects located in Silver Spring, MD and Bethesda, MD, and with the DC Office of Planning (DCOP) and the Zoning Commission on an affordable housing project in Washington, DC.

The past few months have reinforced the importance of teamwork in the face of health challenges, and confrontation of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in society and in our profession. Our ongoing focus and attention on our team composition has allowed us to build, grow and develop our most valuable asset: our people. The most recent additions to our dynamic team bring talent, perspective, energy, creativity, and skill that make our solutions for each project unique to its special circumstances.

Our team is very proud to announce that Richard Abendroth, AIA and Robert Kuentzel, AIA have both achieved licensure as Architects. At Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, Richard and Robert gained requisite well-rounded on-the-job experience, and completed the National Council of Architectural Review Board Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and the 6-part Architectural Registration Exam (A.R.E.). The AXP requires completion of 3,740 hours across six professional practice areas while the A.R.E. assess knowledge and skills of the practice including areas that affect the integrity, soundness, and health impact of a building, as well as an architect’s responsibilities within firms, such as managing projects and coordinating the work of other professionals.

Changing trends in the religious sector are increasingly leading many clerical orders to capitalize on the value of their land by selling all or parts of it for redevelopment, while in turn building smaller, more versatile and efficient facilities. Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS is working on one such project with the Paulist Fathers, who are building a new right-sized mission house and residence as the last of a series of redevelopments of the Paulist’s land in the Brookland neighborhood, DC’s “Little Rome”.