When we heard about the complete transformation of downtown Anacostia by Four Points LLC and the Curtis Companies there was only one think we could think of… what’s going to happen to Anacostia’s big chair? Well have no fear, as you can see below… the chair will stay!
The 1.5 million sq-ft of new development along eight blocks of MLK Ave will include housing, retail, a grocery store, as well as a movie theater. AnacostiaNow has some great comparison shots of what the area looks like currently compared to future developments from the PUD application. [Rendering: Four Points]
Remember the plan for the old firehouse on the block between School and E street Southwest we talked about in March? Well we just got our hands on the renderings for what’s going to replace the police station on the other side of the same block. The DC government plans to move the police station currently on the site to the Bowen school on M Street to make way for this glassy new building.
As for what will replace the old police station, the District plans to build the cities Consolidated Forensics Laboratory. The space will combine many government offices into one facility including police and health labs, as well as chief medical examiner. The new building will be over 240,000 sq-ft and should be finished up by 2011. [Credit: DC.gov]
A few weeks ago on Irving Street Northwest, a row house mysteriously managed to vanish seemingly overnight. Well it looks like whoever got rid of the old home is ready to start putting in a new one. Rowhomes like this typically rely heavily on the surrounding units for support so those little planks really won’t cut it for very long.
You are not seeing things… those are construction cranes above the US Capitol. This photo was taken during the last major renovation and restoration effort way back in 1987. It’s such a cool shot because it’s such a rare event that work of this proportion is done on major buildings and monuments around the city (remember when the Washington Monument was covered in scaffolding back in the late 90s?)
The next major restoration effort of the Capitol won’t take place till 2015 according to the architect of the Capitol, so this isn’t a sight you will be seeing any time soon! [Credit: Azmatsen]
Looks like the classic I.M. Pei designed Marina View Towers in SW are now going to be entirely rentals. Work has already commenced on the refurbishment of the 128 unit north tower, and the complete historic renovations of both towers should be done by this coming January. This construction has lots of company down in Southwest, what with the new Arena Stage and the new vision of the Waterfront along Maine Ave.
The site layout above also shows the restored inner courtyard and the two entirely new towers (far left and right) which will still have yet to be built on existing surface parking lots. Both the renovated Pei buildings and the new construction will have green roofs installed. [Credit: Escoff & Associates]
Right across from the Old Town Whole Foods sits 1701 Duke Street, a little building with a lot of history. The building, which once served as a slave jail, is part of a new five story office building by Carr Properties which will be called Edmonson Plaza. The name comes from Emily and Mary Edmonson who were two slaves once detained in the facility.
We often get on builders cases about giving new projects unoriginal names, but we think this is a nice nod. The builders could have avoided the not so possitive history of the building, but they chose to honor it. Much better than naming the building after the address! [Photo: DCmetrocentric]
Next to the FBI building and the HUD building, the Christian Science Church at 16th and I street downtown is one of the best examples of Brutalist Architecture this city has to offer, but we have never really been a big fan.
The 1970s building was designated a historic building by preservationist back in the 90s and dispite support from the community and the church, the Historic Preservation Review Board voted unanimously to recommend denying the church permission to demolish its own building.
The Church wants to raze the the building and incorporate a smaller Church into a mixed use development on the prime real estate. We understand the need to preserve buildings, even ones that are not currently viewed as aesthetically pleasing, but this just seems like a small group of idealists holding back progress.
The Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History has been doing a lot of construction work lately on their new Ocean Hall and they set up a web-cam to monitor all the progress. It’s really amazing to see the museum’s largest permanent exhibit finally come together. We like the music too!
We told you about Founders Square back in February when they were in the pre-development phase. Looks like things are really moving along now that the Arlington County Board has approved the development plan. It also looks like they are going to be able to squeeze some extra density into the project in exchange for helping to build Arlington’s Mosaic Park.
The developer Shooshan Company has designed the building to be compliant with all Federal Security requirements so that Government tenant will be able to occupy the building. There are rumors that the research arm of the DoD (DARPA) is a possibility for moving it’s headquarters. In addition to keeping important government work in the County, this is great news for Ballston residents because they not only get the ugly Metro bus yard replaced by a nice new development, they also are getting public park improvements. Sounds like a win-win to us.
The Country Board really has been busy lately, at the same meeting this week they also managed to approve the final site plan for the last section of land in the Pentagon City area. The new development will be on the site of the Costco parking lot, right adjacent to the metro.
Check out this just released rendering of what we can expect from the new Southwest DC Waterfront. Out with the seafood shacks and old clubs, and in with a vibrant open plaza surrounded by shops. We do like this vision, especially how the buildings all include green roofs, but where are they going to get a big old ship like the one pictured?
As part of the Columbia Pike Initiative the Arlington County Board recently approved a plan to transform the Arlington Mill Community Center into a mixed-use development by adding homes, shops, and a public plaza to expanded the community center facilities in one very nice looking design!
The new Arlington Mill Community Center development, in addition to gym, dance, and meeting rooms will include a nearly 15,000 sq-ft public plaza and approximately 3,000 sq-ft of ground-floor retail. It will also provide 192 residential rental units, 61 of which are contractually committed rentals to households earning at or below 60% of the Area Median Income. We love the greenery that is incorporated directly on the building!
By far the best exibitor at Design DC 2008 was a company called Architectural Images, and they had some amazing renderings and models on display including this model of Rosslyn Central Place. As we have said in the past, these buildings are going to redefine the Washington area skyline, so it’s cool to see how they look in 3D.
We really like how transparent the buildings look, we just hope they keep some element of that design once the structures are built.
It was only a matter of time, but the US Green Building Council is changing the standards for it’s Leadership in Environmental Design Certification for the first time since 2000 when it was introduced.
The new standards will reorganize the commercial rating systems by consolidating, aligning and updating them into one system. Points are awarded for specific practices in each area and are verified by an independent third party. Depending on the number of points earned, a building is awarded a certified, silver, gold or platinum ranking.
However the most significant changes are to the points system which currently is very ridged and not weighted realistically. For example, projects are awarded one point for installing a bike rack, and the same amount for installing a costly green roof, not exactly the same.
With technology changing so fast, this revamp is way over due. This is going to have more of an effect on our city than many others since all new buildings are required to strive for LEED certification. The public comment period just ended last month and the changes are being incorporated it shouldn’t be long until the new standards are formally released.
If you have been down by Judiciary Square over the past year you have probably noticed all the construction going on around the Old District Courthouse building. Well all that construction and disruption is definitely going to be worth it, check out the model of what the new glass entrance pavilion on the north facade is going to look like when it’s finished!
The original building was designed in 1820 by George Hadfield and is designated a National Historic Landmark, so the current architect Beyer Blinder Belle had very strict rules to follow when designing the addition. We think the glass will actually look very nice once it’s finished and will match the metro pavilions on the other side of Judiciary Square. They will also be expanding the space to make more room for the current occupant, the Court of Appeals. [Model: Beyer Blinder Belle]
Next to the FBI building and the 
We told you about 
It was only a matter of time, but the US Green Building Council is changing the standards for it’s Leadership in Environmental Design Certification for the first time since 2000 when it was introduced.
