John R. Franklin, AIA, LEED AP
senior associate
Historic Preservation Architect
Project Manager
32 years experience
26 years with architrave p.c., architects
It’s a privilege to work every day helping take care of some of the nation’s most historic and recognizable buildings.
At architrave I’ve worked on projects in eight different Smithsonian Museums, five different Library of Congress buildings, House and Senate office buildings, office buildings in the Federal Triangle, the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S Capitol, and numerous other Federal facilities both famous and
obscure.
Every new project is a new challenge.
Education
Bachelor of Science in Architecture,
University of Virginia
Master of Architecture, University of Virginia
Professional Registration
Architecture (DC)
Projects
project architect/designer:
Smithsonian’s Environmental Research
Center (SERC), Bridgewater, Maryland
Visiting Scientist Housing
SERC Dormitory Expansion
Expansion of Wet Laboratory
Residential Projects
Alexandria Addition
Created master bedroom suite from two smaller
bedrooms and a new addition over an existing, previously enclosed side porch. Project won “Southern Home
Award” from Southern Living Magazine in the additions
and remodeling category.
McLean Additions
Added a childrens’ suite with loft over existing garage on
one end of the house, and a new living room, dining room and butler’s pantry at the other end.
project architect/manager:
Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Building
(designed by Marcel Breuer, completed in 1968)
Plaza Waterproofing and Modifications
What started as a study to develop fixes for water leaks
from the plaza to the parking garage below evolved into a collaboration with a noted landscape architect to
transform the building’s barren, Modernist plaza into a
playful and welcoming environment filled with sculptural planters and internally lit overhead shade structures (still fixing the leak problems).
Department of Justice Robert F. Kennedy Building
Window and Door Survey
Managed architrave’s survey of over 900 1930s historic aluminum windows for comprehensive condition
assessment. Worked with architectural conservation firm
on technical assessment of the aluminum windows and recommendations for their restoration.
Library of Congress’s Packard Campus of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center, VA
Satellite Antenna Renderings
Managed production of a series of renderings merging photos taken on the site with rendered 3D computer
models of proposed nine satellite antenna dishes. The renderings allowed assessment of the visual impact of the antennae on the campus and surrounding area.
project architect:
National Museum of Natural History, SI
Main Building Roof Repairs and Skylight Installation
Reroofing the main building’s slate and copper roofs, including partial replacement of the fish-scale slate on the building’s prominent dome.
NMNH Renovate East and West Wing Roof - Design
Fifteen years after we designed the reroofing for the main building, the Smithsonian came back for reroofing the remaining building: the 1960s east and west wings. We studied roofing material options, including green roofs,
and the feasibility of solar panels. We then produced Contract Documents for the project, now under
construction, completion anticipated for 2017.
Library of Congress’s Packard Campus of the
National Audio-Visual Conservation Center
Uninterrupted Power System (UPS) and Power Systems
for Electronic Sensitive Equipment
Designed addition to the emergency generator building
for new larger generators at this technologically advanced conservation center built into the side of a mountain in the Virginia countryside. Design includes architectural
cast-in-place concrete walls/columns and a green roof.
United States Capitol
Electrical Power Distribution System Replacement
Worked with the project electrical engineers to design
routes for new main electrical feeders from the basement
to the attic without disturbing historic interiors and finishes
Library of Congress
Thomas Jefferson Building Exit Stairs
The courtyards of this historic building were filled in a hundred years ago with an ingenious system of steel, cast iron, and marble book stacks. Unfortunately the infills
don’t have enough exits to meet current codes. Our
complex task was to design a masonry stair tower to be inserted into the existing stack fabric for egress from fourteen stack levels and four levels of the historic
masonry building. The design included relocation of restrooms and building systems, new doors into historic spaces, and partial dismantling and reassembly of the
stack system.
Awards
Southern Living “Southern Home Award” in the additions
and remodeling category
Pro bono
Interior and exterior minor renovations and continuing consulting (and labor) for St. Mary’s, Arlington, and its community outreach efforts.