Discovery Channel Flagship Store
Washington, D.C.
Stainless Steel, Cast Iron & Glass Stairs and Steel Railings & Details
The 30,000 square foot flagship Discovery Channel Store in D.C. was conceived as an innovative blend of a themed retail store, science museum and entertainment complex, with floors curated to focus on various subjects, interactive educational, exhibits, computer stations, and an in-store, high-definition movie theater. The three floors were designed to move from modern times at the top, to prehistoric at the bottom. Our custom glass stairs and metal railings reinforce this evolution, with each of the three levels using materials and design appropriate for the time period. Ascending from the basement dinosaur domain, the glass stair was detailed with rusted steel, roughly finished, but kid-safe. For the second level, which represented exploration and discoveries made possible by the Industrial Revolution, we used cast-iron railings for the outer structure and glass lens panels for the treads. We also made an industrial bridge across the open stairwell, with prominent cast-iron rivets showing its structure. Lastly, the space-age level was reached by a sleek stainless steel and diamond molded glass staircase, and stainless steel cable railing encircles the perimeter of the mezzanine, protecting children as they gaze down to see the levels below.
For over thirty-eight years, Jaroff Design under the leadership of Joseph Jaroff has provided design and fabrication of custom architectural glass and metal for the construction, architecture, interior design, and art communities.
Joe received a BFA in Metalwork and Sculpture from RIT’s prestigious School for American Craft and studied Art History at Harvard University. During the time he was a student, Joe received several grants for public art projects including those from the National Endowment for the Arts and New York State Council for the Arts.
After graduating, Joe moved to New York City to pursue an art career, supplementing his income with architectural metal and glass design and fabrication work for contractors and commissioned projects. This early work led Joe to the realization that he could fill an unrecognized need within the building and arts community through blending his skill sets of designer, fabricator, coordinator and project orchestrator.
Jaroff Design has developed and realized design solutions for projects by architects such as Tony Chi, Herzog & De Meuron, Richard Gluckmann, Peter Marino, Toshiko Mori, Polshek Partnership Architects, Ennead Architects, S.O.M., Phillipe Stark, Adam Tihany, Annabelle Selldorf, Andrew Berman and The Rockwell Group among many others.
Fashion Clients include showrooms and flagship locations for Armani, Issey Miyake, Alexander McQueen, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Stella McCartney, Barneys, Louis Vuitton, Van Cleef & Arpels, YSL and Chanel.
Fine dining clientele have seen JDwork at Asiate, Le Cirque, The Sea Grill, 11 Madison Avenue, Bruno’s Wine Club, and the Hudson Hotel Bar. Cultural clients include Jazz at Lincoln Center, MOMA PS1, and New York City Center.