Check out this amazing rooftop oasis we spotted over in the Shaw neighborhood. The rooftop deck has all the key things that make a rooftop great; greenery, nice furniture, a grill, high vantage point, and we imagine it has a view. We are most jealous because those residents are going to have a great spot to watch the fireworks tomorrow, where do you plan to watch the festivities from?
Check out this cool master plan design that we just got from a tipster for the area around the Eisenhower Station in Alexandria. This is apparently a master plan created by EE&K Architects to guide the future development of the 280 acres of land surrounding the Eisenhower Ave Metro station. It’s interesting because you can see a proposed new street grid that creates more of an urban environment and replaces what is currently mostly parking lots.
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Check out the colors in this shot of the Capitol grounds… just gorgeous. The shot uses the HDR technique to really bring out the natural colors and highlight the red brick. Makes you want to go outside and relax on a bench doesn’t it?
[Flickr Photo: rgb48]
Developer Adams Investments asked STUDIOS Architects to design a new residential structure that would reflect the unique community energy and spirit of Washington DC’s Adams Morgan district, but we don’t think they exactly got it right with this one. This 32 unit residential building with a street-facing courtyard doesn’t really look like it would fit into the neighborhood… what do you guys think?
Sometimes it’s fun to think about what could have been. This design by Muse Architects for a civic center and town square for Silver Spring includes a huge public lawn for festivals. We’re big fans of the ”urban” lawn as a great destination to relax, read a book, and hangout. Unfortunately all to often these design choices get paved over.
Question? Do people actually lease from buildings that are months or years away from being built? The Capitol Yards project in SE is encouraging people to ”Lease Now” and we have seen similar signs on other unfinished projects around the city as well! We’re also curious as to what type of promises they are making about the time-frame for delivery to people who reserve apartments.
[Credit: Justin Thorp]
We have been giving Zahn Architects a hard time lately about some of their designs, and this rendering we found for Basilica Lofts isn’t going to help their case. However we are pleased to learn that this did not turn out to be the actual color scheme used on the finished building (which was built last year). We can only speculate, but maybe the computer program they use to render buildings only has ugly colors.
We are thinking about taking up a collection so they can spring for a better program that has some nicer and more natural looking textures. [Credit: Zahn Architects]
The Pittsburgh based bank PNC just revealed their plans for a new regional headquarters at 17th and H Street just a few blocks from the White House. The new 12 story glass structure (pictured) will replace three existing buildings on the block and should be completed by 2010.
The project is designed by Gensler Architects and what has to be the most interesting building feature we have heard of in a long time is the “eco lobby” with a three-story climate wall that cools the lobby with flowing water. Sounds amazing! [Rendering: Gensler]
They sure are working hard over there on 23rd and Constitution NW. The three cranes pictured have made quick work leveling the terrain for the foundation of the new US Institute for Peace over the last few weeks. Once finished, the building will serve as a nice gateway to the city for those coming across the Potomac from Virginia.
[Credit: Kidsturk]
Named after the road in Bethesda and not the movie, Arlington Road is a mixed use project designed by KGD architects. It has a nice enough design for the area but the interesting thing is that the project incorporates a Post Office into the design similar to what they have done over in Clarendon. It is a great ideas for a post office built years before the area was as developed as it is now.
[Rendering: Kishimoto/Gordon/Dalaya]
Looking out at the ATF Headquarters building from Capitol Plaza we noticed some green roof action happening on top of the “decorative” barrier that we had never seen before. While we have never been big fans of the architecture of the actual building, the green does make it look a bit nicer, it’s just too bad you can’t see it from the ground.
[Photo: DCMetrocentric]
It’s not all about super slick modern design in our fair city, sometimes the preservation of older functional design features like this water tower really do it for us! Water towers are fairly common in other cities like NYC, but in DC they are rare, which is probably why we were so impressed when we saw this one out the window while we were in NoMa at Artomatic last weekend. The NoMa Station project has repainted their old water tower old school style and it looks great.
[Photo: DCMetrocentric]
Pictured below is the incredible futuristic new bike transit center designed by KGP Studios for the District DOT. Despite all the issues involved in making Union Station a true center of transportation, this is definitely a step in the right direction. The design includes both storage and rental facilities… precisely the type of infrastructure the city needs to make alternate forms of transportation attractive.
The project is being built on the west side of Union Station near the metro exit and should be finished by the end of this year. Also it goes without saying that the design looks really awesome… we got one more rendering for you after the jump…
When we first saw the giant yellow framework (pictured) going up on the new 300 New Jersey Ave project by Architect Richard Rogers we thought it was scaffolding. However on closer examination we noticed it wasn’t really attached to anything so it couldn’t be scaffolding or even structural support. Luckily we were able to get our hands on the Architectural renderings and solved the mystery…
The yellow “tree” as described by the architect is the support for a huge glass atrium which will connect the older Acacia building on the left with the new glass office space on the right. The atrium will be topped by a triangle flying glass roof which will rise above the current 10 story buildings in the area and change the skyline.
Those stairs you can see are not temporary and will serve as a central exposed staircase connecting every floor of the old building with the new. It’s definitely an imaginative atrium design though ten flights of stairs is not very practical and most people will probably take the elevator. [Photo: DCMetrocentric]
Follow the jump to see what the super cool atrium will look like…
The construction of the Arlington Memorial Bridge was apparently authorized by Congress after then President Warren G. Harding was caught in a three-hour traffic jam. Built in 1931 as a connection to Arlington National Cemetery, the neo-classical bridge design included a draw bridge (picture) which has since been sealed shut. You can also see the temporary buildings built on the National Mall during World War I which served as barracks and offices all the way until after World War II.
We just love old timey photos!!! [Photo Credit: NPS]
