A Few Words From Those Who Know Us
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
I would like to offer my statement concerning Gerding Collaborative’s services in the architectural and design field. This firm has handled numerous projects for us over the last fifteen or so years and has provided an excellent and commendable product and service to our department. Dan and his associates have found their niche in designing projects that require some creativity and ‘thinking out of the box’. They also keep the projects at a size that allows them to serve the project and the Owner in a way that permits a responsive and detail oriented approach during the design and construction. Dan and his team designed the first LEED Platinum project in the metro Atlanta area as well as being a part of the team that designed the first LEED certified state park in the nation and were ahead of the curve in the sustainable design process. They seem to have dedicated the firm’s future to bettering the world we live in and around and the forward-looking thinking and the leadership shown in this is to be applauded.
James T. Evans
Engineering and Construction Section
Clayton County Library System
For the past year, Gerding Collaborative has worked in partnership with Craig Gaulden Davis Architects (CGD) in the design and now the construction of a new 16,000 sq. foot library in Forest Park. The library is scheduled to open in December of this year.
The two firms have worked very successfully with the many players in this process including the Clayton County Library Board of Trustees, the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, the library staff, Silverman Construction Program Management, Clayton County Central Services, Georgia Public Library Service, Hogan Construction Group, the project engineers and the City of Forest Park. Dan Gerding has represented the architects in multiple presentations and has done an excellent job presenting the project. Dan Gerding and Nic Palfrey have worked closely with CGD in approving shop drawings for the project and assuring the schedule is maintained.
Gerding Collaborative has been responsive to the program for the library and has provided thoughtful, creative solutions. Their work is detail oriented and reflects their commitment to make the library energy efficient, highly usable and a welcoming environment for the citizens of Clayton County.
The partnership between Gerding Collaborative and Craig Gaulden Davis has been so seamless that, as the client, I cannot discern the different areas of responsibility. It has been a pleasure to work with both firms; they are accomplished professionals who have successfully met every challenge of this project.
Carol J. Stewart
Director, Library Services
Cobb County-Marietta Water Authority
Gerding Collaborative demonstrated great flexibility and a determination to deliver precisely what we desired for our new office facility, acknowledging the limitations communicated by our staff. The Project Manager listened well, and communicated back to ensure that he understood exactly what we were asking for. Following the resignation of Gerding’s Project Manager early in the design, a smooth transition in team leadership ensued, so that there was no failure in communication and no impact on the project schedule. The Project Manager kept us well-informed about milestones, schedule challenges and budgets, and made a priority of scheduling meetings to suit our needs.
Glenn Page, P.E.
General Manager
Rome-Floyd County, Georgia
The ECO River Education Center project involved converting an abandoned century-old pumping station into office, display, and teaching spaces. Gerding Collaborative was selected for both their design aesthetic and their experience with the LEED program. I found Gerding Collaborative to be very knowledgeable with regards to the LEED design and reporting process, and I am quite sure their expertise in this area is responsible for the success of this project. The Gerding Collaborative staff worked very closely with the general contractor and the subcontractors, none of whom had experience with the LEED building/reporting processes. Many potential problems were avoided due to their planning and attention to detail, and several issues that did arise were resolved by the Gerding Collaborative staff picking up the slack and going the extra mile to make it right. I am very pleased with the final product, and believe strongly that we chose the right firm for this project in Gerding Collaborative.
Eric H. Lindberg
Environmental Services Director
Georgia Department of Natural Resources
We have been extremely pleased with the work we receive from Gerding Collaborative. They are very responsive to our needs, and their designs correspond to the program and budget. They are not too proud to admit to mistakes, and promptly correct them. Dan’s personal interest in sustainable design is reflected in his work, and his firm is not afraid to push the envelope to explore and develop designs that are on the cutting edge of high performance and sustainability. Gerding Collaborative is an architectural firm of the future.
David Freedman, P.E., Chief
Maintenance & Construction Section
Gwinnett County Community Services
Gerding Collaborative has provided a superior product for a number of our facilities. The pavilions at McDaniel Farm Park and Little Mulberry Park are totally unique, yet completely different in style. More importantly, these facilities met the stated purpose of the respective Master Plans for each of those parks, from aesthetics to maintainability. In Bryson Park they have met our goals for a building that meets two diverse uses. The activity building will function as a host and backdrop for an outdoor interactive fountain and as a neighborhood gathering space; a LEED building that will be a landmark for the park and the community. In summary, Gerding has always listened and responded, paid attention to detail in their design and documents and coordinated with other disciplines to deliver an outstanding result. They seem to enjoy doing it as well.
Grant Guess
Division Director
Parks and Recreation Project Administration
Gwinnett County Department of Community Services
I have had the pleasure of working with Gerding Collaborative Architects for the best part of the last decade. Their staff has consistently provided the highest quality services and most creative solutions. Their successful designs for Gwinnett County Parks include projects that demand a range of approaches from the most sophisticated contemporary design integrating LEED requirements to projects that require refined sensitivity to specific historical contexts. Several of the buildings Gerding Collaborative have designed for Gwinnett County Parks have been added to our library of “Gwinnett park standard designs” and have been used in several subsequent county parks. I am pleased to recommend this firm for consideration.
Rex Lee Schuder, ASLA, RLA
Principal Community Planner
Parks & Recreation Project Administration
Rocky Mountain Mushroom
I apologize for taking too long to properly extend my gratitude and appreciation. But, we are very pleased with our MELLOW MUSHROOM restaurant that Gerding collaborative designed. In fact “pleased” is an understatement. Each time I walk into the restaurant I comment to myself how very special it turned out. It definitely has a “wow” factor that all rave about. It has been dubbed “the Ritz Carlton” of Mellows. The architectural team and the engineering team were very attentive, responsive and best of all-talented. Thank you and all the design team associated with this success.
Morris Purcel
Garden Hills Pool & Park Association
We selected Gerding Collaborative to assist us in replacing our neighborhood recreation center that was destroyed by fire. Throughout the project, Mr. Gerding has been very responsive to our requirements and concerns, has worked seamlessly with our contractors and engineers, and has met every target date that we requested. Our Board of Directors and I are extremely happy with the design work done by the firm, and have been especially impressed with the exceptional efforts of Mr. Gerding and his staff in dealing with the many cumbersome and complex permitting and insurance issues that we encountered. Without hesitation or reservation, I would use Gerding Collaborative on future residential or commercial projects, and would enthusiastically recommend him to others.
David H. Kirshtein
President
Central Congregational United Church of Christ
My congregation is working with Dan Gerding on an integrated renovation and expansion of our building. His proposal was clearly superior to the 17 others we received for many reasons: aesthetics and design, sensitivity to our budget, and clarity of communications. Perhaps the most important factor was his easy discernment of the ‘personality’ of our congregation. He quickly grasped our mission. With his low-key and thoughtful manner, he helped us resolve some rather knotty problems… Dan and his staff have helped the Facilities Task Force interpret the project in a convincing manner to the larger congregation, the neighbors of our church, and the county planners and reviewers. As we head into our capital campaign to raise money for construction, we have a new confidence. It still is a challenge. But Dan has helped moved the whole congregation from skepticism and resistance to excitement and enthusiasm about the possibilities ahead.
Dr. Gilbert R. (‘Budd’) Friend-Jones
Our Savior Lutheran Church
Through meetings with the Building Study Committee, various sub-committees, the Church Council, and the Pastor, Gerding Collaborative gained a thorough understanding of the workings of the Church. They willingly worked closely with the congregation through several stages of design refinement and successfully met our deadlines. We were extremely pleased at how smoothly the programming and design process proceeded. In fact, following Gerding Collaboratives’ presentation of the design concept to the congregation, the vote to proceed with the project passed by a unanimous vote of 51 – 0! Our banker remarked that never before had he heard of such a strong affirmation by a congregation to proceed with a building project.
Wayne Shoemaker
Council President
