Weiss/Manfredi + OLIN

As we have shared previously on AD, Washington DC’s National Mall – America’s most visited national park with over 25 million visitors a year- is undergoing a total restoration.  The $700 million project will be the first major renovation in over 35 years, and will focus on three sites of the Mall: Union Square, Sylvan Theater on the Washington Monument Grounds, and the Constitution Gardens.  During an intensive three part competition, the jury first evaluated scores of portfolios to select up to eight designers per site; conducted team interviews to narrow the site designers to five; and finally, during Phase Three, the jury will hold a design competition for each site.  We have just been notified by Weiss/Manfredi and OLIN that their team has been chosen to develop two of the three sites; no small feat for a competition that began with over 1,2000 designers.   The multidisciplinary team of architecture, landscape and planning designers will develop proposals for both the Monument Grounds and the Constitution Gardens.  We are excited to see what the team will develop, and we will keep you updated on the other Phase Three finalists and their proposals as we hear more.

© Robert Lautman & Suzane Reatig

Architects: Suzane Reatig Architecture 
Location: 506 O Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20001
Year Completed: 2006
Photographs: Robert Lautman & Suzane Reatig

   
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© Nathan Kirkman

Architects: John Ronan Architects
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Photographs: Nathan Kirkman

   
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Courtesy the Center for Architecture NY

Earlier this month, a Washington D.C District chapter opened their doors to the streets near Chinatown and the Penn Quarter. The office joined other East Coast chapters in the movement promoting visibility, transparency and sustainability in architecture.

“It’s a clear, simple and concise concept,” says Thomas Corrado, project architect with Hickok Cole, the Washington firm that created the design. “The idea was about how to make the space a connection between architecture and the person on the street.”

The design exposes the inner workings of the chapter, building curiosity and creating an opportunity for conversation to the pedestrians passing by.

Via The Washington Post

Courtesy of Washington National Cathedral

The U.S.G.S. recently reported that an earthquake struck the Washington, D.C. area with a preliminary magnitude of 5.8 (later updated to 5.9). Initial reports of damage are minor however the National Cathedral’s central tower sustained some damage. “It looks like three of the pinnacles have broken off the central tower,” spokesman Richard Weinberg said of the tower, the highest point in Washington, D.C.

Update: The Cathedral has sustained some substantial damage due to the earthquake, and experts are currently assessing the structural and aesthetic damage. For a video of the Cathedral damage, or to help join the efforts of preserving the Cathedral click here.

Update: You can also see the effects of the earthquake on a building in Virginia here.

Felt in Philadelphia, North Carolina, Boston, New York City, Martha’s Vineyard, and even Wheeling, West Virginia, the tremor raises questions of the importance of seismic considerations particularly in New York City.

Although earthquakes are not something a typical New Yorker would have cross their mind in comparison to other parts of the world such as Japan (8.9 magnitude in 2011) and Chile (8.8 magnitude in 2010), the overal size and density of NYC puts it at a high risk for extensive damage.

More photographs of the Washington National Cathedral and discussion regarding seismic considerations following the break.

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© Paul Warchol Photograhy

Architects: David Jameson Architect
Location: Washington DC, USA
Project Architect: Alex Stitt
General Contractor: The Ley Group
Project Year: March 2011
Photographs: Paul Warchol Photography

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Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture

Located in the under-developed neighborhood of Anacostia in southeast Washington DC, Building 2345 stacks a series of interlocking uses in order to maximize the site. With an existing FAR of 1.5, and an additional FAR bonus of 1 for mixed-use developments, the building maximizes its FAR potential on a narrow lot, 25’ wide by 130’ long. The program includes a doctor’s office, retail and residential uses.

Architect: Höweler + Yoon Architecture
Location: Anacostia, Washington DC, USA
Project Team: J. Meejin Yoon, Eric Howeler, Carl Solander, Liz Burrow, Parker Lee, Daniel Sullivan, Dan Smithwick, Eric Maso
Structural Engineer: MGV
Contractor: FEI Construction
Mechanical Engineer: MepTech
Civil Engineer: CAS
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Courtesy of Höweler + Yoon Architecture

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© Mark Herboth

The Anacostia Library creates a civic building of which area residents can be proud. A variety of spaces to meet a wide range of community needs are in the new facility. Spaces include a large public meeting room (for approximately 100 people), two smaller meeting rooms, a children’s program room, as well as smaller rooms for group study and for tutoring. There are shelving areas for print and non-print materials for all ages. Multiple points of access to virtual spaces through the public PCs and wireless access are included.

Architect: The Freelon Group Architects
Location: Washington DC, USA
Project Area: 22,000 sqf
Photographs: Mark Herboth

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© Debi Fox

Architects: Division1
Location: Washington DC, USA
Project area: 25,000 sqf
Project year: 2009
Photographs: Debi Fox Photography

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Courtesy of Group Goetz Architects

Group Goetz Architects’ objective for their office was to create a forward thinking workplace for its business with a new paradigm focused on flexible and collaborative space that would be a contributor of a healthful environment and lifestyle. Expanding on a simple program, GGA designed the 16,000 sqf offices without walls to improve communication and collaboration, to encourage learning and sharing of information, and to take advantage of the enormous amount of natural light permeating the perimeter glass walls of the space. The commitment to openness started at the highest level in the organization and therefore the workplace has no private offices. The design culminated in achieving LEED Platinum from USGBC, as the first design office in the Washington, DC area to achieve this distinction.

Architect: Group Goetz Architects
Location: 2900 K Street NW, Washington, DC, USA
Project Team: Lewis J. Goetz, FAIA, FIIDA (Principal-in-Charge), Mansour Maboudian, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP (Principal, Director of Sustainable Design), Rina Li, LEED AP (Senior Designer), Amber Kwansiewski (Project Designer), Laura Madge (Designer)
LEED Coordinators: Gweneth Kovar, LEED AP (Designer), Gweneth Kovar, LEED AP (Designer), Joseph Siewers, LEED AP (Architect)
Contractor: Dietze Construction Group
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineer: CS Consulting Engineers
Developer: Carlyle Group
Project Area: 16,000 sqf
Project Year: 2009
Photographs: Courtesy of Group Goetz Architects

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Exploring modern design and a technological future, the 1930s World Fair’s held in Chicago, San Diego, Cleveland, Dallas, and New York featured architects and industrial designers such as Raymond Loewy, Norman Bel Geddes, Henry Dreyfuss, and Walter Dorwin Teague.  A modern, technological tomorrow unlike anything seen before, the World Fair’s presented visions of the future including designs for the cities and houses of tomorrow with a lifestyle of modern furnishings which were viewed by tens of million of visitors.

Designing Tomorrow: America’s World’s Fairs of the 1930s exhibition is currently on display at the National Building Museum in Washington DC thru July 10, 2011. Building models, architectural remnants, drawings, paintings, prints, furniture, along with period film footage are all included within the exhibit.

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Courtesy of Group Goetz Architects

The Ansel Adams Gallery at The Wilderness Society is the centerpiece of a renovation of the existing headquarters in Washington, DC. The renovation included and update and reconfiguration of the office space, energy savings enhancements, new finishes, and the creation of a special gallery for the society’s treasured collection of Ansel Adams photographs.

Project description, images, and drawings after the break.

Architect: Group Goetz Architects
Location: Washington DC, USA
Project Team: Lewis J. Goetz, FAIA, FIDA (Principal-in-Charge), Aleksandar Jocic, Derick Williamson
Consultant: HBW Group
Structural Engineer: Brandes & Cassagnol Engineers, PC
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineer: CS Consulting Engineers, Inc.
Lighting Design: Coventry Lighting
Art Consultant (Exhibition Design) and Graphics: Cynthia Reed, LTD.
Project Area: 3,600 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Group Goetz Architects

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Courtesy of Group Goetz Architects

Group Goetz Architects (GGA) provided full service interior design, architectural, and engineering services to multidisciplinary international law firm Foley & Lardner for their total building renovation into a new state of the art law firm facility. The effort included 210,000 sqf of office space, built in three major phases, over four floors, in approximately 18 months. The project includes a 30,000 sqf Conference Center, a full service Café, and Resource, Records, Document Storage IT, and Reproduction centers.

Project description, images, and drawings after the break.

Architect: Group Goetz Architects
Location: 3000 K Street, N.W. Washington DC, USA
Project Team: Lewis J. Goetz, FAIA, FIIDA (Principal-in-Charge), Mansour Maboudian, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP (Principal, Director of Sustainable Design), Amber Kwansiewski (Project Designer), Laura Madge (Designer)
Contractor: Hitt Contracting
Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing Engineer: KTA Group Engineering
Lighting Consultant: MCLA
Structural Engineer: Tadjer Cohen Edelson Associates, Inc.
Audio/Visual Consultant: 11 Communications Group
Art Consultant: Jean Efron Associates
Project Manager: Jones Lang LaSalle
Project Area: 210,000 sqf
Project Year: 2010
Photographs: Courtesy of Group Goetz Architects

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© Prakash Patel/William McDonough + Partners

How can we design a building that inspires students to dream? This charge— articulated by the dean of the country’s largest foreign service program— guided the design team for this new building on the American University campus.  Serving as a symbol of the school’s tradition of global service, the anticipated LEED Gold certified building provides a vibrant setting for teaching, research and public dialogue.

Architects: William McDonough + Partners and Quinn Evans|Architects
Location: Washington DC, USA
Design Mechanical Engineer: Taylor Engineering
Mechanical Engineer of Record: GHT Limited
Structural Engineer: McMullan Associates
Daylighting Consultant: Loisos + Ubbelohde Associates
Civil Engineer: Delon Hampton & Associates
LEED Consultant: Sustainable Design Consulting
Fire Code and Suppression Consultant: PEG
General Contractor: Whiting-Turner
Client: American University
Project Area: 75,000 sqf
Photographs: Prakash Patel/William McDonough + Partners

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The U.S. Department of Energy just announced that the West Potomac Park, adjacent to the National Mall between the Lincoln and Jefferson Memorials will be hosting the 2011 Solar Decathlon. The event’s permit for the National Mall, the launching pad for the largest solar competition in the world, had been revoked in mid January creating a lot of disruption for the 20 collegiate Solar Decathlon teams who had put over 18 months of work in preparation for the event.

Here is our previous coverage of the Solar Decathlon.

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Students from the 20 collegiate Solar Decathlon teams are continuing to raise public awareness in an attempt to keep the Solar Decathlon on the National Mall in Washington DC.  They have been building momentum and applying pressure to Secretary Salazar throughout the past month trying to overturn the abrupt decision by the National Park Service who revoked the permit for the Solar Decathlon on January 11.

Take a look at our previous coverage and full article about the 2011 Solar Decathlon booted off the National Mall.

© Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

The Watergate complex, in Washington DC consists of five buildings sited on ten acres overlooking the Potomac River and was built between 1963 and 1972. Designed by Italian Architect Luigi Moretti, the Watergate is considered one of Washington’s most desirable addresses.

This 1,250 square foot unit is located on the fourteenth floor and was never previously renovated. Compartmentalized spaces with ceiling heights less than 8’-4” high presented the perception of a low horizontal environment. Offsetting these less than optimal existing conditions are spectacular views along the Potomac River looking toward the landmark Francis Scott Key Bridge.

Architects: Robert Gurney Architect
Location: Washington DC, USA
Project Architect: Sarah Mailhot
Contractor: Added Dimensions
Interiors: Baron Gurney Interiors
Engineer: D. Anthony Beale LLC
Photographs: Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer

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© Paul Warchol Photography

Located in the Mount Vernon Square neighborhood of Washington DC, an existing row house has been reimagined as a modern, light filled urban dwelling for a professional couple. The compartmentalized interior of the existing house was gutted, and the rear façade and porch were removed. Surrounded by buildings on three sides and limited to the existing seventeen foot wide by thirty foot deep footprint, the new floor layout and open plan are intended to provide dynamic interior spaces in sharp contrast to the originally dark, cramped house.

Architects: Robert Gurney Architect
Location: Washington, DC, USA
Project Architect: Brian Tuskey
Contractor: Prill Construction
Engineer: D. Anthony Beale LLC
Interior Designer: Baron Gurney Interiors
Photographs: Paul Warchol Photography

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© Courtesy of KGP design

Architects: KGP design
Location: Washington D.C, USA
Project area: 1,750 sq. ft.
Photographs: Courtesy of KGP design read more »

© Paul Warchol Photography

Built like its neighbors, over a century ago and part of a continuous network of buildings in a historical district, this town house has been completely renovated. Regulations required that the traditional limestone facade remain intact. The bottom floor of the facade has been reworked within the existing limestone composition in an effort to provide a separate entrance and storefront for a commercial tenant in the lower level. The rear facade, located in an alley has been completely reworked to provide more light into the building.

Architects: Robert Gurney Architect
Location: Washington DC, USA
Project Architect: John Riordan
Contractor: Prill Construction
Engineer: D. Anthony Beale LLC
Project Year: 2007
Photographs: Paul Warchol Photography

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