DC Metrocentric

We have been following the progress on the new PNC Place building on 17th St down by the White House for a long time and we finally got a chance to check out the most innovative feature of the green building… the cooling water wall. Designed by Gensler Architects, the “eco lobby” has 12 three-story climate wall mesh panels (pictured on left) which help cool the building.

It is a first of its kind feature in DC commercial architecture and certainly worth checking out if you are in the area.

More photos after the jump…

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The old Taylor Motors building on T Street NW has had all sorts of failed plans over the past few years, but now after months of work, the old 1920s Ford Model T showroom will open on June 14th as American made furniture store Room and Board.

Gensler architects along with Washington-based firm Eric Colbert & Associates, were in charge of work to restore the building along with many of its original details. After being empty since 2008, it’s great to see this building back in use.

If you haven’t been over to the Washington Design center in SW lately a couple of events over the next two months may just be reason enough to go. First up is an event a la the show Top Design where over 30 WDC showrooms will be transformed to display their finest in outdoor living. Patio furniture and outdoor fabrics will be the center of attention March 22-26…

The event which really caught our attention though is the Find-A-Designer Day event, April 29, 2pm – 6pm. Attendees will get the opportunity to peruse over 60 of the designers showrooms and receive a free 30 minute consultation with a design professionals. The even is free and there will be a cocktail reception, so you know we will be there, what could be better than browsing the latest in interior design while sipping a cocktail?

At the National Gallery of Art, the paintings and sculptures aren’t the only pieces of art. Some might say the moving walkway between the two wings of the museum is more airport than art, but we say it’s all about perspective with interior design. That there is another person in the photo also capturing the view makes it that much greater of a shot!

[Photo: Karon]

Now that work has finally commenced on the new 1000 Connecticut Ave building downtown, we are starting to get an idea of what the building is going to look like on the inside (and from the roof). The exterior design by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners has been getting knocked lately so we are interested to hear what you think of these new renderings.

The green rooftop after the jump…

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We just got our hands on some interior renderings of the hot new Hickok Cole designed CSIS building that’s going to be built on Rhode Island Ave. NW. The exterior looked great back in the rendering we saw in June and these interiors are looking pretty darn good too. The PUD application is already in and the building is on track for a 2011 completion. What do you think?

The interior atrium with glass ceiling after the jump…

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We got our hands on some of the interior renderings done by ArchiBIM of the new project 15 K Street in NoMa and we have to say they look good. The planned 12 story building between North Capital and First street is being designed by WDG Architects. We are really digging the look of the indoor atrium’s waterfalls.

Water features don’t get the credit they deserve.

Another rendering of the entrance lobby after the jump…

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Congratulations are in order for Liz whose comment was randomly chosen by Random.org, but whose comment is certainly worth repeating again.

Liz’s must have design item is “The large black & white photos of my family framed in white teak wood hanging in a collage in the living room. The most important design items make a statement about who you are, and what says who you are better than priceless family photos.” Very nice!

Special thanks to Allmodern.com for providing the prize choices (pictured)!

Don’t forget about our All Modern giveaway contest. All you have to do is share with us what you think is your must have interior design item. You have until tomorow to enter here.

You know we love to have contests here at DCMetrocentric and the fine folks at AllModern.com would like to give away a must have item from their site. The winner will have a choice of any of the items pictured and all you have to do is share with us in the comments what you think is a must have interior design item for your home.

As you can see, All Modern has a fantastic selection of modern furniture, home accessories and lighting from brands like Herman Miller, Knoll, Heller, Alessi & more. The contest will remain open till next Friday at 12:00pm and we will randomly choose a winner from the comments, so get to it and good luck!

*Please note that this giveaway is only for residents of the United States.

Since the exterior construction on the new View 14 development in Columbia Heights is moving along so nicely, it’s time to start dreaming about what those finished units are going to eventually look like. STUDIOS architects sent us a few interior renderings to get our imagination going. The views certainly will be amazing.

Collaborating with the base building architects, STUDIOS tried to reduce the boundaries between inside and outside spaces to highlight the city views using large expanses of glass. The design will use stone and moss in both exterior and interior spaces to reinforce the organic flow and to try and create an environment that is sleek and modern yet still warm and inviting.

A rendering of the lobby after the jump…

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Sometimes its hard to look at a crowded space and see it’s potential. Well just like with exterior renderings, it’s becoming more and more popular to do virtual mockup with interior design as well. How great would this be for helping see what a clean basement would look like?

The left shot is what the space currently looks like, and the right is what it’s going to look like, cool orange chairs right? [Photo/Rendering: ArchiBIM]

We know that Rosslyn Central Place is going to look great from the outside… and now we know the inside is going to look great too! We got our hands on some of the interiors for the new building and they look great. Each tenant will define how their individual floor looks but the common spaces and top floors will have fresh light colored wood finishes lit up by those floor to ceiling windows.

[Rendering: Byer Blinder Belle]

We spend so much time focusing on the exterior of buildings around here and we sometimes forget that “it’s what’s inside that counts.” With that said we will be bringing you more interior design renderings from up coming and completed buildings in addition to our borderline obsession with exterior renderings and construction shots.

To kick things off we bring you the brand spanking new offices of RTC Relationship Marketing (RTCRM). The design was conceived locally by the Georgetown office of architectural firm HOK. The concept centers on ”open space and urban planning design and its commitment to sustainable communities and building environments.” That sure is a lot of words to say that it’s green and there is a bunch of glass. 

The building is LEED certified ready and 75% of the demolition and construction waste was diverted from area landfills to local recycling facilities. We really like the color scheme and clean lines, though is the “open” work environment getting a little overdone these days, or is it really that much better for workers? Another shot of the second floor after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »