CityView Magazine

66 | July/August 2017 From firehouses and schools, to City Hall and the Cumberland County Courthouse, there are examples of Gordon Johnson Architecture work every which way you turn. One of the most notable is the Wyatt Visitors Pavilion Complex at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden. Johnson is currently at work on the expansion project at the Fayetteville Regional Airport, a renovation which will include a newly reorganized ticketing area, expanded TSA security checkpoints, and a whole new second level concourse. the partnership and started his own business. He explained, "I have kept my firm small, to keep control." Building Spaces When Johnson was working on the Visitors Complex for the Cape Fear Botanical Garden, he received a generous budget. Johnson enjoys when the scale of an operation comes with a sizable budget, as it allows for more creative control, but he also wanted to research what kind of space would serve the Garden best. In preparing for the design, he explored botanical gardens across the country and investigated the designs that were both inviting and practical. "I visited about half a dozen gardens up and down the East Coast. A lot of that was to see how they dealt with the visitors and what needs were needing to be met," Johnson said. Eventually, he discovered the ways in which the Cape Fear Botanical Garden could succeed. e answer? Rentable event spaces. Johnson decided then the Visitors Complex would need to be built to host multiple events like weddings, charity auctions or business parties that could all happen, if the need would ever arise, simultaneously. e building would be equipped with two kitchens and designed with each part of the building set up to function separately. His final design, a sprawling 30,000 square foot building, with an extra 3,000 square feet of space upstairs so offices could be added at a later date, is indeed a popular venue for charities and functions. Envisioning the Way According to Johnson, his firm handles 10 to 20 designs a year, varying widely in scale and difficulty. Recently the firm has completed a new fire station, a forensics lab for the city, and is working on a new law enforcement and emergency management training center in Spring Lake. Johnson says that architecture takes a considerable amount of imagination and patience, as one typically won't see the results of designs in real life for several months or even years. Visualization, then, is a key element in Johnson's success. Years ago, as a high school boy, he may not have envisioned one day standing at the helm of his own architectural firm, but he imagined a way forward and let the path become clear as he went. He let drawing lead the way. He kept drawing. He kept working. "You have to," he said, wisely, "have the vision in your head." CV For more information and to see more a complete listing of Johnson's designs, visit www.gordonjohnsonarchitecture.com.

• Cover