Ongoing Projects Athens County Children Services New Office Facility BDT designed a new Children Services facility for Athens, OH, complete with spaces for various uses (like one-on-one meetings, conference rooms, offices, and recreational rooms). As of July 2025, construction on the new structure began! Jackson Memorial Building Renovation This Jackson, OH project started in 2024…
How design supports economic growth in Glouster, OH & other towns: How We Got Here: In towns like Glouster, Ohio, many buildings stand as quiet reminders of a more prosperous past. Once anchored by the coal industry, Glouster thrived on the labor and commerce that filled its downtown storefronts and community halls. As coal declined…
An inside look at our project at OSU Wexner Medical Center’s Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care The Martha Morehouse Outpatient Care facility, part of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, serves hundreds of patients each day across numerous specialized departments. Over the years, incremental renovations and departmental shifts left the building with a layout that…
Here’s a short list of some projects recently completed by one of our principals Jim Thomas: 58 West – Logan, OH: This project is a unique one. BDT worked to turn what was once a car dealership into a bar and restaurant. Now known as 58 West, this restaurant contains a brewery and winery, plus…
BDT Architects & Designers has had the opportunity to continue working at the Ohio University campus in Athens. We’ve completed a few projects in the past few months that we’d like to highlight: Alden Café BiblioTech: BDT renovated the cafe in the 2nd floor of OU’s Alden library. This project focused on renovations to both…
You might think it’s an April Fools prank, but it’s certainly not. BDT has launched our new website on April 1st, 2023. We’ve been working on this new experience for years and we’re thrilled that our clients get to experience the overhaul. With updated pages and new forms, it has never been easier to start…
On Nov. 7, 2019, the AIA Columbus Chapter announced the winners of its annual Architecture Awards Program. BDT Architects & Designers—an Athens, Ohio architecture and design firm—won a merit award in the “large project” category for their 26 E Park Drive project. Judges commended the designers’ response to the building’s site, located in the City…
As climate change impacts the built environment in more and varied ways, architects must be ready to meet the challenges. Their tasks include: identifying and understanding the current state of a given building site; being aware of potential, short-term impacts during weather-related events; and planning ahead for resulting, long-term physical changes to sites. In the…
The American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently held a training in Columbus, Ohio, in which volunteer architects learned how to use their skills when responding to natural disaster sites. BDT’s personnel were proud to attend the Safety Assessment Program (SAP) training—and are even more equipped to quickly assess building safety in times of emergency. Area…
BDT is a proud committee sponsor of Diversity by Design at AIA Columbus. Diversity by Design (DxD) is a Collective Leadership Group advocating difference towards authentic design solutions. The group provides support and pipeline development to enhance diversity, equity & inclusion within the profession of architecture. This includes encouraging and celebrating the contributions of those…
It feels like second-nature to know where we’re going, whether it’s through a familiar room in the dark, or the town where you grew up. Then again, some people might be better than others at getting to a location that’s new to them. Consider finding any landmark on your first trip to a new city,…
Scientists have long studied how we feel in different settings—and it’s no secret that people’s brains respond more positively to natural settings than to artificial ones. Most people find being inside a building partially lit by large windows that overlook a greenspace more appealing than inside a florescent-lit space full of office cubicles. The reactions…
The College of Business Renovation at Ohio University is now featured in our portfolio. The renovation encompassed both the college’s home in Copeland Hall, as well as space in an adjacent building, which is shared by the Computer Science Center, office suites, and lecture halls. Designers created a two-phased project that allowed for the college…
Design is about balance and functionality, solving problems and, in the case of architecture and interior design, making spaces. Physical spaces. Spaces in which items are used and stored. Just as realtors stand face-to-face with people in the midst of their buying, selling, and moving processes—and dilemmas, challenges, even melt-downs—designers are often faced with helping…
WHAT MAKES A CITIZEN ARCHITECT? In the field of architecture, the term “Citizen Architect” is widely known—but outside the field, people might never have heard of it. On one hand, the meaning is clear. Citizen Architects should be good citizens, just like everyone else, and use their powers for good. On the other hand, though,…
South Cannon Garage Renovation, which officially opened in December 7, 2014 is now featured in our portfolio. The garage renovation was challenging on many fronts–from conceptual design through construction, due to the on-going expansion of the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. That effort’s main contribution to the campus is the James Cancer Hospital. You…
Most of our choices involve communication. What we drive, wear, listen to—and the spaces that make us comfortable. Tattoos, VW Bugs, bow ties, Frank Zappa—yurts, the Sydney Opera House, Santa Fe-style adobe, skyscrapers, and wide-open spaces dotted with the occasional park bench. We constantly demonstrate who we are, what we like, how we think, and…
“If we are to truly make change in our communities and the nation, we need to both practice architecture AND advocate on policies that influence the built environment. Only then can we truly create a ‘blueprint for better.’” – Carl Elefante, FAIA2018 AIA President AIA’s revised Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct explicitly addresses current…
In today’s fast-paced work world—where young people bounce from job to job and create (digital) résumés with ten postings in eight years—the idea of company loyalty is often considered antiquated. However, the world looks different for certain dedicated, skilled workers born from the 1950s and onward, even if they detoured briefly with the flower children…
Columbus AIA design:ROLLS Bike Tour featured the Columbus BDT office as its first of six stops along a 4.5-mile route. BDT staffers Nicholas Bittner, Melissa Bittner, and Don Dispenza—along with Don’s son, Sam—welcomed a group of 14 bicyclists on Sunday, October 14. Participants warmed up with hot cider and coffee as they toured the airy,…
Welcome to the first installment of our inaugural BDT blog series. The concept behind the series is to more deeply explore ideas that connect the industry and practice of architecture and design with real world current events and philosophies. Recent news coverage depicting civil unrest stemming from the removal of a statue depicting Confederate General Robert…
BDT has been busy recently! As you know, BDT expanded earlier this month by opening a second office in Columbus’ Discovery District. Concurrently, they’re in the works of constructing another office to relocate their Athens operation. That project is well underway, and hit a pretty exciting landmark this week in the process. The office development…
Meet our newest intern, Allison Atha! Allison is a smiling face you’ll see around our Athens, Ohio office. Learn more about Allison and her role and interests below! How long have you been a part of the BDT team? I have been with BDT for 2 months. Tell us a little bit about yourself and…
BDT is expanding. We have some pretty amazing people at BDT and would like to introduce you to some of them! Meet Michael Holland, Intern Architect. Read more about Michael’s background, role and interests below. How long have you been a part of the BDT team?It will be 2 years in September. Tell us a…
What do high school kids love to do during their summer vacation? Attend architecture camp, of course! That’s exactly what fifteen-year-old Sam Dispenza, son of one of the principals here at BDT, has done this summer. Read Sam’s first-hand account of his experience at Ohio State’s High School Design Studio below. Hi! My name is…
When designing a facility, not only are aesthetics important, but it is crucial to understand the functional nature of the facility and what impact the industry, past, present, and future has on that facility. Knowing how the the staff works, what they need, past obstacles, and the overall flow of actions performed day in and…
The anticipated observatory at Ohio University (OU) in Athens opened to the public last Saturday, May 6th with an evening grand opening ceremony at The Ridges Auditorium. According to an article on ohio-forum.com, the observatory has been under construction since 2016 and houses a “10-inch Fecker telescope in a 22-foot-diameter Ash dome, as well as…
March 6th kicks off Columbus Women in Design Week. Today we talk with Viviane Herbert, Interior Designer at BDT. How did you get into your current field of work? Design has always been a part of who I am. How long have you been in the industry, and how has it evolved between then and…
While we are expanding from Athens into a new market in Columbus, it is important to remember and honor the history of our firm and how it came to grow into what it is today. BDT was founded in 1983 by merging sole-proprietor practices of David Panich and Michael Noel. Thus, the original firm name,…
Much like the rest of the world, we are ready to work together and move forward into 2017. However, we would be remiss to not reflect on our accomplishments in the past year. BDT marked 2016 as a year of transition. Our most exciting transition has been expanding our firm by opening a second office…
After a November 2014 fire shutdown the north side of Union Street, City of Athens Mayor Steve Patterson saw an opportunity for rebirth. The mayor envisioned a revitalized pedestrian corridor as an extension of Ohio University’s Campus Green located on the corner of Union and Court Streets. BDT presented a series of measured options for…
BDT is proud to announce that Principal Nicholas Bittner was named chairperson of the AIA Columbus Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) Committee. The committee’s purpose is to disseminate discussion on the development of computer technology and its impact on architecture practice and the entire building life cycle. While intended to serve as a resource for…
As Shawnee Lodge makes preparations to greet a full house over the Thanksgiving weekend, we look back on the first year of major renovations. Shawnee Lodge & Conference Center is the centerpiece of Shawnee State Park, west of the City of Portsmouth, Ohio, where the Scioto flows into the Ohio River. Late in 2015, BDT…
Nearly two years after a fire swept through half of Union Street in Athens, Ohio, The Union Bar is serving patrons again. The Union Bar was believed to be the epicenter of a major November 2014 fire that ignited neighboring structures. During the fire, flames focused their efforts on The Union Bar and three properties…
BDTAID, Inc. (BDT) is delighted to announce its expansion into Columbus, BDT Principal Architect Nicholas Bittner is heading up the renovation efforts and will lead the Columbus office. The new office is located at 33 N Grant Ave in the re-developing Discovery District. “This location is surrounded by Columbus State, Columbus College of Art and…