Revitalizing GWWO Architects’ Apostrophe CMS Website

First Glance

GWWO Architects is a Baltimore-based architecture firm specializing in cultural and educational public sector projects across the Northeastern United States. With a reputation for innovative design and a focus on public service, GWWO prides itself on delivering projects that enhance community spaces. Recently, the firm expanded its operations with the opening of a new office in Connecticut.

To reflect this growth and maintain their professional online presence, GWWO sought to update their portfolio website which originally launched in 2018. Built on the Apostrophe CMS platform, the website had not received significant updates since its launch and GWWO needed a new partner with expertise in the Apostrophe CMS platform.

GWWO turned to Sunrise Integration to modernize their website design, enhance its functionality, and align the user experience with their current operations. This partnership aimed to revitalize their website while ensuring future scalability and ease of content management.

The Challenge

GWWO faced several challenges with their existing website. The design and functionality had become outdated, limiting the user experience and failing to reflect the firm’s recent growth and expanding operations. The key issues included:

Outdated Design: The homepage and navigation were cluttered, and the video carousel was ineffective in showcasing GWWO’s portfolio. The site lacked modern design features that could enhance user engagement.

Unscalable Content Structure: The contact page did not accommodate the addition of the new Connecticut office, making it difficult for users to find relevant information.

Technical Limitations: The website lacked the necessary updates and technical support to keep pace with modern web standards.

Inefficient Navigation: The top navigation and footer were overly complex, making it difficult for users to locate key information quickly.

GWWO’s goal was to simplify the website, make it visually appealing, and improve functionality to better represent their brand and operations. They needed a strategic partner who could deliver these updates while providing ongoing support for the Apostrophe CMS platform.

The Solution

Sunrise Integration developed a comprehensive plan to modernize GWWO’s website, focusing on design, functionality, and scalability. Our design team worked closely with GWWO to ensure that every update aligned with their goals and maintained the integrity of their brand.

Discovery and Design

The project began with a thorough discovery phase, including a business requirements review, code audit, and hosting evaluation. Based on these findings, the Sunrise Integration design team provided updates to simplify and enhance the user experience.

The homepage was reimagined with a clean, modern layout. The video carousel was replaced with a single full-bleed ambient video featuring headline text overlay, creating a visually impactful first impression. Optional widgets were added beneath the main video, allowing GWWO to feature flexible content such as projects, news articles, or services, encouraging deeper user engagement.

Navigation was streamlined by consolidating menu headings into four dropdowns, making it easier for users to explore the site. The footer was redesigned to reduce its size, incorporate social media icons, and include a newsletter signup feature, enhancing both aesthetics and functionality.

The contact page received a side-by-side layout to prominently feature both the Baltimore and Connecticut offices. Custom widgets allowed GWWO to display office images with addresses beneath, improving accessibility for clients and collaborators.

Development and Implementation

Sunrise Integration implemented these updates using Apostrophe CMS, leveraging its flexible framework to create custom widgets and layouts tailored to GWWO’s needs.

On the homepage, new widgets supported the updated video and flexible content sections, ensuring easy content management for GWWO’s team. The top navigation was refined with dropdown menus and a simplified logo, while the footer was restructured for a cleaner appearance.

The Vimeo-based video integration was replaced with an optimized video marquee, improving loading times and visual quality. On the contact page, new widgets were developed to align with the side-by-side layout, ensuring a cohesive user experience.

DevOps and Hosting

To ensure seamless deployment and ongoing stability, Sunrise Integration set up production, staging, and development environments. A Git repository and automated deployment processes were established, enabling efficient updates and reducing the risk of downtime during future changes.

The Outcome

The updated website successfully addressed GWWO’s challenges, delivering a modern, streamlined platform that reflected their brand’s growth and professionalism.

The simplified homepage provided a visually engaging entry point, showcasing GWWO’s work with a striking video display and flexible content sections. Navigation improvements made it easier for users to find information, enhancing the overall user experience.

The redesigned contact page effectively highlighted the firm’s new Connecticut office, ensuring clients and partners could access relevant contact details with ease. The improved video marquee and optimized widgets enhanced functionality while maintaining the site’s aesthetic appeal.

From a technical perspective, the updated platform improved scalability and usability. With a stable hosting environment and automated deployment processes, GWWO now has the tools to manage their website efficiently and confidently.

Looking to the future

With a revitalized website and ongoing support from Sunrise Integration, GWWO is well-positioned to continue their growth and serve their clients with excellence. The updates not only reflect their expanded operations but also provide a scalable foundation for future enhancements.

As GWWO continues to evolve, Sunrise Integration will remain a trusted partner, ready to support additional updates, new features, and further integration opportunities. This project highlights how strategic design and development can transform a website into a powerful tool for growth and engagement, ensuring long-term success for GWWO Architects.