RW Studio Brightening South Dallas With AIA Contract Documents
About RW Studio
RW Studio is a full-service architectural firm, recognized for creating projects that have a soul, going beyond the conventional usages of dwellers and tapping into their psyches. The firm specializes in designing hospitality, commercial, and private residences through a collaborative creative approach where they truly partner with clients in a way that renders the most authentic version of their design needs.
“My roots are in South Dallas and one of the core objectives of my firm has always been to reach back and pour into the community that made me who I am today.”
Introduction
The Southern sectors of urban environments have a history of blight and disrepair. Their landscape typically consists of battered, vacant commercial buildings that have seen their best days, housing accommodations that hover just above the poverty line, and crime rates that are constantly marching in the wrong direction. From one coast to the other and the heartland that lies between this great nation is littered with urban centers where progress abounds in the North, East, and West, but is slow to arrive in the South. One of those cities is Dallas, home to RW Studio, a world-class design firm with a global footprint, led by Roddrick West.
Time To Give Back
When West and his firm were contacted to gauge their interest in working in South Dallas, he leaped at the opportunity. “We’ve done work all over the world but coming back to my old neighborhood and actually pouring a piece of me into it was the gift I had always dreamt of.” That gift arrived in the form of The Black Aje, a 3,000-square-foot office building located in the heart of the Southern sector. When the plans to develop the building were made public, the locals received it well, as it signaled to them that someone saw hope and still believed they were a viable part of the bigger North Texas fiscal picture.
Groundbreaking is the best way to describe this project and where it fits within the grand scheme of things. West and his team see The Black Aje becoming a piece of the larger economic puzzle that moves South Dallas in a positive financial direction. “This structure will truly set the tone for the next phase of development and none of it would be possible without AIA Contract Documents. This endeavor is near and dear to me; it’s personal and with it meaning so much I wasn’t leaving anything to chance and that included the contracts.”
“The Black Aje will be the first new build on storied Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard in more than three decades and I’m humbled to be a part of this effort."
First Order Of Business
When the project was in the initial stages, RW Studio and West were instrumental in shaping the design and direction of the structure. Their responsibilities included building a comprehensive concept design package. That package came with out-of-the-box renderings that the client favorably received. “Across our portfolio, we’ve been able to strike the perfect balance between design and functionality, and with this hitting so close to home, I knew that approach would serve us well.”
Once the creative elements were settled, choosing the right document to guide the project took center stage. “This project is happening in phases, and I knew AIA Document G704 would be my document of choice.” AIA Document G704 is the standard form for recording the date of substantial completion, and the functionalities of the document align perfectly with the needs of RW Studio and Black Aje. “It’s perfect and helps us keep everyone on the same page and keeps the project moving at the desired pace.”
“Going into this opportunity, thanks to ACD, contracts were the least of my concerns.”
A Place Where The Sun Always Shines
The Sun is always shining in South Dallas. That’s the mantra residents of the neighborhoods that comprise this storied segment of the state’s 2nd largest city live by. It says that no matter what message the skies send or how dark the weather may be on any given day, what resonates inside them and the spirit that has come to define the area will always shine brightly. “This part of Dallas is bursting with potential; all we need is a spark to light that fire. Once it’s lit, we’ll see a seismic, transformative shift in the place that for so many years I called home.”
Each day, regardless of the forecast, the temperature, or the season, the Sun hangs high over South Dallas for all to see. Thanks to RW Studio, Roddrick West, and AIA Contract Documents, the Sun will soon shine a little brighter.