Take This Design and Call Me in the Morning

By Beth Herman

It is reported that what compelled preeminent psychiatrist Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross to write the revolutionary On Death and Dying in 1969 were her observations of the deplorable treatment of end-of-life patients in hospitals. Prior to her own death in 2004, Dr. Kubler-Ross devoted more than 40 years to transforming people and ideas about illness and dying, cultivating hospice care centers and even founding her own holistic healing center for the terminally ill and their families in California.

For interiors principal Barbara Huelat and architectural principal Joseph Parimucha of Huelat Parimucha Healing Design in Alexandria, Va., the road to improving patient care may have emanated from a different place, but the results, even here in Washington, D.C., are still the same: to meet and exceed the physical, mental and emotional needs of patients suffering from illness and trauma, and their families, in a deeply humane environment.

"Both Joe and I were with large firms that focused on health care design prior to 1991, when we started our own firm,” Huelat said, “but the emphasis tended to be on the project deliverables, the marketing, certainly the bottom line, and we felt the patient component was really missing. We were told that we were being ‘too California’ for the client.”

First, Do No Harm

With hundreds of medical and government projects in their passbook, including emergency rooms, acute care, oncology, pediatrics and even four Veteran’s Administration hospitals on deck, Huelat Parimucha’s concepts for patient-centered design are impacting the patient experience in environments where, for so many years, the emphasis was strictly on physician pedigree, medicine, hospital policy and the administration of such. Basing their design on Planetree principles, named for Hippocrates’ famous Sycamore tree under which he taught healing and medicine, Planetree is a nonprofit partnership of healthcare facilities whose mission is described as one that provides information and education on how to achieve patient-centered care. In fact, Huelat Parimucha has become a Planetree-certified design firm, which Huelat explains differs from LEED certification, which is transaction-based rather than firm- or hospital-based (hospitals must endure a rigorous, multi-year education and results recording process to become Planetree- certified).

No Stone Unturned

For Huelat, who concedes she was disillusioned immediately following design school, discovering at that time “that design was pretty much for the wealthy and it just felt empty,” veering from a traditional course as she quickly did was probably a self-fulfilling prophecy. “I started seeing the implications of what I did,” she said, recalling a major renovation in the 1970s, among her very first projects when health care design was invariably limited to cafeterias, lobbies and public spaces, of an actual hospital endoscopy unit. “I was interviewing department users,” she said, “and I started asking about the functions, what the endoscopy process was, and what the patients saw and felt – the smells and the whole wretchedness of that experience. I just couldn’t go in with regular finishes and materials; I wanted to focus on how you help the patient relax during this very uncomfortable process.”

About 10 years later, on staff at Ellerbe Becket, a joint venture with a Japanese architectural firm to renovate the National Cancer Institute in Tokyo cast Huelat in yet another role. Because Japanese firms didn’t have interior designers in their culture (architects did everything), Huelat was renamed “patient representative,” and set about profiling seven comprehensive U.S.-based cancer centers for Ellerbe Becket’s work in Asia.

“I looked at everything from the patient’s perspective,” she said. “If we were talking about a person who was an inpatient, dying of cancer, and they still had visiting hours from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m., and the mother who’s dying also can’t have her 10-year-old daughter there, it just seemed inhumane. I brought up all of these things that had never been talked about before, and we even had other researchers to help us collect data, but I realized things like this were not in the research.” After this project, Huelat reflected, she could never look at a hospital environment the same way.

The Poetry of the Earth is Never Dead

- John Keats

With the use of hospital emergency rooms on the rise for uninsured patients, and due to private physicians’ enormous caseloads booking weeks or months in advance, the ER One project at Washington Hospital Center – D.C.’s largest trauma center – was a pivotal undertaking for Huelat Parimucha. Tantamount to designing a durable and tractable environment to withstand 21^st century catastrophes such as human fallout from emerging terrorist attacks, the firm’s goal was to create a sense of calm, respite, hope and healing in traditionally frenetic terrain, both for patients and staff.

For Parimucha, who as a member of the Air Force had spent 10 years working for the Surgeon General’s office as an architect on military installations and health care facilities, the inclusion or close replication of nature - or organic design - was a key component in health care design and especially in ER One. Incorporating “fractal design” into their plans, or what Huelat calls “nature’s geometry” - recreating the way snowflakes look and fall in a kaleidoscope pattern or the veins in a leaf resemble a tree, the firm sought to replicate these forms in floor patterns, walkways, furnishings and more in ER One. “You can see fractal design on shorelines, on beaches and in erosion,” Huelat explained. “There are no left turns at the beach; it’s very gradual curves,” as opposed to abrupt and jarring lines and colors. A former hospice volunteer, Huelat said her patients inevitably wanted to be outdoors, or if that was not possible, to have visual access. “What is it about nature?” she asked. “We’ve been living that way (since the beginning of evolution). Only the last 100 years or so have we spent more time indoors than out. We’re now in a really foreign building environment – our whole life is in buildings and we rarely get outside,” she added, noting the application of nature to health care environments greatly impacts patient well-being by reducing stress, encouraging rest and thereby promoting healing.

The VA, which traditionally adhered to standards “and just reproducing those standards,” according to Huelat, as opposed to more holistic, patient-centered care, is now implementing Planetree design at many of their facilities. With four contracts to create community-oriented living centers for young vets from the Gulf War, Huelat Parimucha’s subjects are patients their 20s and 30s with traumatic brain injuries, paralysis or multiple-amputees. “They are not in their 80s and 90s,” Huelat said, “so these are not nursing homes.” Rather they will consist of smaller households in a neighborhood concept, each with 10-15 single occupant bedrooms, combined with a kitchen, living and dining room. Nearby in more public spaces will be a post office, barbershop, activities center, computer center and more. Design of each living center will involve organic components, as do all of the firm’s projects.

“It’s a very exciting, revolutionary approach to healing,” Huelat said. “Our culture, including the aging baby boom generation now in the midst of moving into increased health care needs, is becoming a very demanding audience. In the next 20 years, we’re going to see a very dramatic change in health care delivery, more focused on the patient experience than just the medical treatment itself.”

JBG Moving Forward With Rosslyn Commons

The JBG Companies is set to stack two more high rise buildings into the crowded Rosslyn setting very shortly. Approved by the Arlington County Board in the summer of 2008, the plans call for 25 four-story townhouses and two high rise apartment buildings offering 454 units and 12,635 s.f. of retail, construction of which is expected shortly. The new development will replace eight existing brick garden-style apartment buildings (totaling 84 units) between Clarendon Blvd. and 16th Road North with the town houses and two L-shaped towers (12 and 13 stories respectively) designed by Bethesda-based firm Architects Collaborative. Fifty-four of the apartment units will be marketed as affordable housing. Both apartment buildings are expected to be LEED Certified.

The boldly designed buildings will be a striking composition of “tan-brown, reddish brown and pink-brown brick with gray-blue to gray-green metal frames.” Rising a dizzying 128 feet, the townhomes (a more manageable 50 ft) will help step the development gracefully down into the surrounding garden-style apartment complexes. The super-block will be split by a landscaped pedestrian plaza, creating a foot-traffic thoroughfare halving Clarendon Blvd. and 16th Road North. The internal courtyard will be advantageous for tenants looking to spill cafe and restaurant operations into the public space, creating a bustling central plaza where residents, commerce, and leisure will come together.

While no time table has been made public, Paradigm and Clark Construction are expected to offer general contracting bids by October 7th with the expectation that construction would begin shortly after. Rosslyn Gateway, Central Place, and Potomac Yards are just a few of the other JBG projects planned for Arlington in the near future.

Update: Since publishing the story, JBG reached out to DCMud with additional details on the project. Balfour Beatty Construction, Clark Construction, Facchina Construction, and SE Foster Construction have all submitted bids on the project. The exact number of units is as follows: 474 total units and 55 affordable units. The red and grey building is designated as Tower One and the combo of dark and light gray is Tower Two. Both residential towers will include a rooftop pool and pool deck, rooftop club room, and rooftop fitness center. Tower Two, which is "a more modern design...with neutral colors, clean lines, boutique lobby, European-styled kitchens (flat panel kitchen cabinets with modern door pulls, white Corian or quartz countertops, dark/light cabinets (with dark or light hardwood floors), alternating by floor" could be marketed as for-sale condominiums depending on the state of the market when delivery nears. JBG confirmed that they in talks to bring a cafe with outdoor seating into the retail space. The project is expected to earn LEED Silver. Construction will begin by the end of the year, and the buildings will be delivered by late 2012, with the two towers delivered first and the townhomes following closely behind.

Arlington, VA Real Estate Development News

Rosslyn's Artisphere Opens

While the "opening of the Artisphere" might sound science fictional, Rosslynites know by now that it puts Rosslyn on the map of arts destinations. The 53,000-square-foot "showcase for the arts," opening October 10th, will include an exhibition gallery, a Black Box theater for the Washington Shakespeare Company, ballroom, Wi-Fi cafe, four performance venues, and three art galeries, all converted from the building the once housed the Newseum.

Arlington chose The Lukmire Partnership and Clark Construction to renovate the interior, while keeping most of the exterior, in a design that is intended to achieve LEED certification for interior space, designation pending. Arlington officials set the October 10th date more than a year ago, and managed to stick the landing with regular events beginning immediately after the official pomp. "Artisphere" was the winning entry in a public contest that included "Planet 9," "Artopolis," "the Orb," "the Artseum," and DCMud's own rejected entries of "Rossdome" and "SphARTlington." Humph.

Officials promise a veritably transcendental arts forum with non-stop programming that will redefine art in the community. "Its an entirely unique model in the region and country in terms of diversity and amount of programming. I do think we are creating a new model for regional appeal and global programming," said Norma Kaplan, Division Chief for Arlington Cultural Affairs, which operates the Artisphere. "An important component is bringing in artists from around the world that will open up the door to new kinds of work and new connections." Kaplan promises "20 to 25 events" per week. Jim Byers, Marketing Director for Arlington Cultural Affairs, adds that between the impromptu, regular, and occasional big name performances, the building will be a consistent place of inspiration. "The usual experience is a big name that may draw you to a cultural center sporadically. While some of the programs will indeed be big names, our idea is to constantly engage the public and have them hang out there regularly at the wi-fi cafe or go to the art store, a much more holistic experience than seeing a few big stars per year."

The building is owned by Monday Properties with a 20-year lease to Arlington. Monday is also the owner of the land at nearby 1812 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn, where it recently announced it would begin construction on what will be Rosslyn's tallest building when complete.

Arlington Virginia real estate development news

Groundwork Gets Underway at Convention Center Marriott

Construction crews could begin preliminary groundwork as early as next week for the Convention Center's newest addition, the 1,175-room, 15-story Marriott Marquis, a project headed by Quadrangle Development and Capstone Development. The Washington Convention & Sports Authority (WCSA) announced earlier today that it will provide limited early access in order for developers to orchestrate initial site remediation work including: "removal of underground storage tanks, demolition of the Erhlich Building, erecting fences, placing signage around the site and readying the area for construction."

A more ceremonial and celebratory start to construction will soon follow, says Gregory A. O’Dell, Washington Convention and Sports Authority President. "The Authority and the District are finalizing the documentation and preparing to close on the bonds as we anticipate a groundbreaking within the next 30-45 days," he explains. Once construction begins, a build-out of 42 months is anticipated, placing the delivery date in the spring of 2014. While this is not the official groundbreaking, convention center authority spokeswoman Chinyere Hubbard confirms that this is indeed the beginning of construction and an indication of nothing but green lights going forward. There are "no further legal obstacles", says Hubbard, who notes that the WCCA board will officially approve the financing bonds tomorrow.

The soon to be active construction site is bounded by Massachusetts Avenue and L Streets, NW. Because of District height limitations, the massive hotel is burying much it's square footage beneath the earth, so the first order of business for contractors is to dig a giant hole and start building back up to ground level. Progress above ground might not be visible for almost a year after construction starts. Upon completion, the building will feature over 100,000 s.f. of meeting and ballroom space, 25,000 sf of retail, and 385 parking spaces. The plan also calls for a below grade tunnel (vehicle and pedestrian) connecting the hotel and Convention Center. The hotel will become only the third Marquis in the country. Developers and District officials hope the already impressive Convention Center will be a world-wide attraction now that an accompanying state-of-the-art, large-scale hotel is on the way.

Last year, Mayor Adrian Fenty signed the New Convention Center Hotel Amendments Act of 2009 that authorized Tax Increment Financing (TIF) and the issuance of bonds, to fund up to $206m in construction and operational costs. Private developers will pick up the remaining portion of the estimated $550 million total cost. With JBG's spat over the project and ensuing lawsuit now ended, today's announcement means the project is officially moving forward.

Washington DC real estate development news

Architects and Developers Roll Out Concepts for Southwest Waterfront

Last night at the Arena Stage, as the developers from Madison Marquette and PN Hoffman, as well as lead planning architect Stan Eckstut of EE&K, presented their master plan for the redevelopment of the Southwest Waterfront, one thought really stuck: it's going to take a boatload of time, money, and effort to make these ideas reality. The vision was colorful, imaginative, and mostly astounding, with prospects of a world class waterfront with international port-cities like Genoa, Auckland, Baltimore, and Seattle as inspiration. If only they had a plan for how to pay for it or when to build it.

Unfortunately the idea men are real estate developers, not wizards, and it will take more than a PowerPoint presentation to transform the city's Southwest Waterfront. But with no definite time-line given or dedicated financing, developers seem to be turning to the increasingly common fallback of government-sponsored housing. Some of the basic tenets of their master plan were released: 840,000 s.f. of office space, 335,000 s.f. of ground floor retail, several entertainment and cultural features (maritime museum maybe?), three hotels totaling 600 keys, as well as over 500 residential units, fully half of them being set aside for low-income residents at 60% AMI or less - one of the District's lower end income caps for subsidized housing. The presenters also promised that 60% of the 27 acres would be public space, emphasizing their belief that creating buildings is not their primary focus, it's shaping spaces for a 4-season destination for commerce and recreation.
While the development details set for dry land were compelling, developers stressed that their vision really begins and ends with the water itself. Their plan sees the two major yacht clubs significantly expanded, almost doubling their holding capacity to four or five hundred slips. Their concept also stretches several large piers well out into the channel, each plank serving a different purpose. The "City Pier" will extend from 9th Street, welcoming larger cruising vessels with a bandstand of some kind, where the "mayor can welcome visitors" (Greetings, Mr. Putin, how was your boat trip to America?) and pedestrians can enjoy concerts and fireworks. Planners hoped a modern lighthouse-like tower would anchor this pier on land, but admitted developers had not figured out a way to pay for this yet (not to mention the rest of the project). Another pedestrian-heavy and recreational pier will split the waterfront in half, wedged between the two marinas, planners sketched the picture of a small sailing school, kayaks and boat rentals. On the far west side of the waterfront, a wider pier will feature a plethora of dinner boats, stretching the many future dining options out onto the water.
On land, "The Wharf" will be the main pedestrian-centric thoroughfare, taking the right of way from the few vehicles that venture down the water's edge. Wide bike lanes will run along the inner portion of the expansive sidewalks stretching from current Fish Market to M Street. And developers are hoping that by including a streetcar line down the middle of the street, the District will be compelled to get moving on their pledge to make public streetcar transit a reality. Maine Avenue will shoulder most of the vehicular traffic, with District officials having requested the closing of Water Street, and will feature bus drop offs and a 2,500-space below-grade parking garage. Other land-side features include the re-imagining of the fish market as a year-round "Market Square" featuring brew pubs, cafes, restaurants, and picnic areas. On the opposite side, a large open park at P Street will be vehicle-free and less dense, transitioning the development into the neighborhood.

Cicada-like hisses greeted Eckstut's mention of stretching some buildings to a height of 11-stories and 130-feet, but the architect defended such dimensions as allowing wider, more inviting sight lines and access points to the waterfront, massing density vertically in strategic locations to allow a more porous, open waterfront. A more agreeable talking point was his promise that those currently living on boats at Gangplank Marina would not be threatened and expelled by the new plans.

The details of the development are many, and are difficult to bundle into a comprehensive understand via prose, but blog Southwest Quadrant has a solid bullet-pointed rundown of the major features. The entire PUD will be submitted to the Zoning Commission later this fall, with many lively public hearings set for the spring. Phase I construction can't be expected until at least 2012, despite a recent groundbreaking, and construction could take upwards of eight years. And that's a best case scenario. The development team was awarded the project in January of 2008.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Two Year Extension Given to Uline Arena Redevelopment Plans

Like many developments around the city, Douglas Jemal's plans for the vacant Uline Arena and Ice House will remain stalled for the foreseeable future. But that won't stop real estate development fiends from fantasizing about the day Jemal's unique redevelopment vision for this historic NOMA property are finally realized. On Tuesday that day seemed pretty far away, as the BZA granted Jemal and his development team a two year extension of their plan approval and setback and parking variance relief approvals. In 2008, both the Historic Preservation Review Board (HPRB) and Zoning approved the preliminary plans of Douglas Development, in partnership with the Wilkes Company, to

transform Uline Arena into a state of the art mixed-use complex featuring 290,000 square feet of commercial office space, 75,000 s.f. of ground-floor retail, and 225 residential units.

Bounded to the north by M Street NE, and situated on the northern half of the block between 2nd and 3rd Streets NE, the Uline Arena, also known as the Washington Coliseum, is best known as the first concert venue in the United States to host the Beatles. Over the years it featured sports teams like the Washington Lions (American Hockey League) and the Washington Capitals (American Basketball Association), as well as famous musical acts like Bob Dylan and the Temptations. Most recently the facility was used as a trash transfer station by Waste Management Inc. Originally constructed in 1941, HPRB placed the building on its National Register of Historic Places in 2006, preventing any future demolition plans.
GTM Architects have penned the design plans that see the historic coliseum restored, renovated, and expanded. Designers are excited about the historic preservation aspect of this project, describing the structure and its thin shell concrete vaulted roof as one the earliest examples of "structural innovations in modern industrial design in the United States." As part of the renovation, existing masonry facades will be improved and restored. A 2-story addition of glass and steel will be constructed above the Ice House, highlighting the industrial character of the structure.

A spacious, multi-level atrium will be constructed inside the domed Arena. Decisions on who or what will occupy the retail space are up in the air: big box retail, an entertainment center, a mix of small and local restaurants and cafes, it all remains on the table, according to developers. The streetscape will be improved with planters and transitioned into a new landscaped entry plaza at the northeast corner of the block. Developers intend on extensively incorporating sustainable design strategies so to warrant LEED certification upon completion.

Executive Paul Millstein of Douglas Develpoment says of the hold up: "We have a really cool design to bring this property back to life, but right now we're still searching for the construction money." It's a tough market for anyone to secure financing in, but especially so for a development team used to doing spec projects. With times still uncertain, no one is willing to finance

developments without prelease agreements, says Millstein. "Trust me," he explains, "this is not the place we hoped to be; we thought we'd be done by now." But he assures skeptics that they are remaining flexible on the future of the office and retail space, and "are plowing ahead, more bull-headed in our efforts than with any other property."

But Douglas Development promises not to sacrifice quality for speed. At the initial approval hearing he told the BZA that the building was going to have "cool tenants." "They're going to be innovative. They're going to be environmentally correct. They're going to be public transportation oriented. They're going to be neighborhood friendly," he elaborated. But what and who are these "cool tenants"? Greenpeace, who currently resides in another of Jemal's buildings, was initially mentioned as a possible tenant, but have decided to remain in their current location. And that's really too bad, because what's cooler than Greenpeace? Well, except for Paul McCartney playing a gig at the groundbreaking ceremony, just a thought. Hurry up Jemal, while he can still sing.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Groundbreaking at 1150 Ripley Street

Minor construction work has now begun at 1150 Ripley Street in Silver Spring, but developer Washington Property Company will wait until next Tuesday to officially celebrate the groundbreaking of their 16-story multi-family building. The 306,000 s.f. building will add 286 rental units, and is being heralded by developers as the "first major construction project within the Ripley District in almost 20 years." On October 5th, Washington Property Company President Charles K. Nulsen III will be joined by Montgomery County officials to put a ceremonial shovel in the ground and provide remarks on the bright future of the Ripley District, including specifics on several other "exciting development

plans" in the area.

The building design, a generous use of glass textured by streaking and crisscrossing lines of metal as well as tall brick columns, is courtesy of the Lessard Group. Sitting on 1.16 acres of land, the apartment building will offer the usual assortment of amenities: business center, conference rooms, rec rooms, and a fitness center. Stocked with the standard array of studios and one and two bedrooms, the structure will stand atop three and a half levels of below grade parking totaling over 300 spaces. The ground floor will feature 7,000 s.f. of service retail.

The Ripley District, a triangular parcel of land in downtown Silver Spring, is bounded by Bonifant Street, Georgia Avenue, and the CSX Railroad. Sitting adjacent to the MARC railway and Silver Spring Transit Center, this is the type of transit-oriented development that county officials are hoping to encourage. The county’s Department of Housing and Community Affairs has offered $5 million in mezzanine financing, and hopes their visible cooperation and financial assistance will spur future smart growth in the area.

Silver Spring, and specifically the Ripley District, will look to mimic Bethesda and Arlington by sporting horse blinders, ignoring the recession, and plowing ahead. Officials will steer new developments to be "organized around open spaces, surrounded by a mix of high-density office and apartment buildings, with bike trails and pedestrian routes connecting residents to the nearby Paul S. Sarbanes Transit Center and the Metropolitan Branch Trail to Union Station in downtown Washington, D.C." Home Properties' Ripley Street North mixed-use development will look to follow this blueprint and give County officials another reason to smile, but no word on impending construction has been given. The plan for the Shalom-Baranes-designed 200 ft. residential tower and accompanying 80 ft mixed-use building was approved in 2008.

S.E. Foster, a subsidiary of the Paradigm Companies, is heading up general contracting duties, and will deliver the first units in roughly eighteen months. Full delivery is expected in approximately two years.

Silver Spring, MD Real Estate Development News

Hello Cupcake II

For cupcake fanatics in DC (apparently there are a lot of them), the knowledge that Dupont Circle's Hello Cupcake has been planning to expand to Barracks Row amidst the escalating cupcake frenzy is welcome news. But diversifying the catalog of cake and frosting combos is not the only thing that goes into a new location, as the new store will open with national expectations. While Penny Karas, founder and owner of Hello Cupcake, juggles the tasks of a small business owner, her husband Bill Bonstra and his colleagues at Bonstra Haresign Architects are working to make sure customers at Hello Cupcake's newest location (705 8th Street SE) will consume their sugary treats in a comfortable, colorful, and intelligently designed space.

The original

Bonstra and his team were responsible for the interior design of the first Hello Cupcake store that earned the National 2009 IES Capital Chapter Lighting Award of Merit and also won design awards in each of four categories of the AIA/DC Chapter Awards program. Bonstra said he wasn't exactly surprised, but still humbled and delighted: "We knew we had done something good, but to be recognized by your peers is fantastic." The interior space that Bonstra created on Dupont Circle seems like an upscale and modern take on an airy Candy Land dreamscape. The new space in Southeast will be a continuation of the same, says Bonstra. "The new store will be consistent with the brand that has been developed, and will play on some of the same design themes, but will also be unique, as every project and space is new and different." Bonstra will also adhere to the same LEED and Green Restaurant Association standards that governed many of the design decisions the first go around.

Hello Cupcake or Hello Kitty?

Like the Dupont Circle location, the Barracks Row cupcakery will feature lively signage, generous and inviting windows, and colorful sidewalk furniture. While the previous location was a retail space in the ground floor of a large office building, Hello Cupcake's newest venue replaces Capitol Hill Bikes in a three-story historic row-house, featuring residential units on top of the ground floor retail space. With all this, plus the addition of several planters and flower boxes, Bonstra believes his wife's new location will add "needed vibrancy" to the historic facade and the southern portion of Barracks Row. The new store has the luxury of a basement floor, which will allow Karas to jump-start the nationwide shipping operation she had included in her business plan from the beginning.

Hello Cupcake II interior rendering

Karas hopes that she can tap into some of the baseball fans that shuttle to Nationals' stadium from the nearby Barracks Row eateries. Baseball game traffic won't be back until next spring, but cupcake consumption on Barrack's row should happen before then as construction is set to finish before the first of the new year. Bonstra says that his team is in the process of securing all necessary building permits, and that some minor demolition has already begun. Energized by a few cupcake induced sugar highs, Prill Construction Group is moving speedily ahead as they oversee general contracting work.

Washington D.C. Real Estate Development News

Green Public Housing Opens in Southeast

The Community Preservation & Development Corporation (CPDC) will lead a grand opening ceremony today for Wheeler Terrace, a public housing project in southeast DC renovated to hit green new green levels. Once a crime-plagued and filthy tenement, the seven-building project reopens today with expectations to redefine public housing standards.

Wiencek + Associates redesigned the buildings to achieve both LEED and Enterprise Green Communities certification, the first DC public housing project to do so. The 116 affordable housing units at 1217 Valley Avenue, SE will feature clean-air systems, white reflective vinyl roofs, a green roof demonstration project, and heat supplied by a geothermal pump: 100 wells 350-450 feet deep, utilizing a glycol anti-freeze that brings up water at a constant 55 degrees.

Plans to redevelop the blighted project date back to 2006, when the residents of Wheeler Terrace exercised their right to purchase the land under the District’s Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA). The Wheeler Terrace Tenant Association then selected CPDC as developer shortly thereafter. Turner Construction lead the renovation efforts at the 133,000 square foot site. Tenants of the project were relocated during construction and are now being repatriated to the updated complex. Time will tell if the green label keeps the crime at bay.

The celebration will be held today at 10am.

Washington DC real estate development news

The House that Straddled Time

By Beth Herman

It's either in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley or in your wildest dreams, depending on how much Ketel One you've had to drink the night before, but for a noted NYC expat/physician, this place is really home.

For Winchester, Va.-based Chuck Swartz and Beth Reader of Reader & Swartz Architects, creating a place to retire for a client whose lifetime interests included opera and what some might consider colliding collections of pop art, rare books, skeletal remains, insects, an imposing statue of bad-boy Greek character Actaeon and antique scientific oddities presented a design challenge largely unparalleled in their 20 years in practice together, but one the firm truly embraced. Ultimately receiving an AIA D.C. merit award in the historic resources category, the architects’ efforts to integrate 300 years of art, objects, books and furniture, including a 1959 Eames chair and Mies van der Rohe daybed, into slightly more than 3,000 s.f. of a late 19^th century “street side farm house,” known as vernacular Victorian, resulted in a home that’s rich, tactile appeal rivaled its intellectual brio.

“When you see these things,” Swartz said of his client’s eclectic though erudite taste, “it’s not an ego collection for him. He actually reads these amazing books and knows all about them. And all of the objects – he knows who did them, who they were related to. He lives in the history of Western culture.”

Upstairs, Downstairs

Originally four apartments, Reader & Swartz Architects, who also credit Lodge Construction, Inc.’s craftspeople and project manager Earl Burroughs, began by converting the structure into two spaces: lower and loft. The smaller, bottom living space of 939 s.f. went to the homeowner’s caretaker who maintains the precisely landscaped, vibrant grounds and gardens that further define the space. Primarily a renovation, the only addition to the premises was the inclusion of another library, in fact a third library, commonly referred to as the “secret” library due to its windowless location, which houses some of the homeowner’s estimated 4,000-book collection under unusually creative circumstances.

“In this case, the library is the room and the room is the library,” Swartz explained, noting the shelves go from floor-to-ceiling on all four chocolate brown walls in the 13x13x13-ft space. When the door - which is backed by more shelving - is closed, it disappears, and a highly mobile library ladder runs the entire perimeter of all four walls to access any and all books. A 1920s art deco Murano glass light fixture hangs from a coffered ceiling, and isn’t electrified, holding candles instead. The room is actually lit by a minimalist fixture above this one, which shines down on the glass. “We’re taking an old light fixture and thinking of it as an object rather than a source of light," Swartz said, which is exemplary of other repurposed entities throughout the home. “Everything is looked at for its properties and thought about a lot,” Swartz noted. “So if something is beautiful and (the homeowner) loved it, we figured out how to have it make sense in the building.”

In the garden library, which overlooks a rather formal Karesansui rock garden, black Corian bookshelves are traversed by tapered, vertical, floor-to-ceiling pieces of wood, almost like airplane wings, which add precision and scale to that room’s collection of books. The remaining library, called the main salon, is a large, pale green room with floor-to-ceiling glass, a barrel-vaulted ceiling and mirrors at each end. On one wall is a changeable wooden apparatus, thought of as kinetic or interactive sculpture. “The verticals are set, but all the horizontal pieces can be unscrewed very quickly, almost in IKEA fashion,” Swartz explained, adding the whole composition can be moved around to accommodate the client’s glassware, antique medical objects, sea shells and more. “He calls it his Wundercamera,” Swartz quipped.

The Butler with the Candlestick in the Kitchen

In tandem with the home’s robust personality and old/new functionality, the kitchen needed to have its own voice. The last thing the team desired was to default to a “subdivision-type” kitchen with little dignity. “We wanted the space to be the way a really old kitchen would be, where it’s a room with things that are worthy,” Swartz explained. In this respect, plastic laminate “caskets” were designed to hold base cabinets and wall cabinets so that everything looks like built-in furniture. While the cabinets themselves are modern, they’re made of red oak providing a grain that, at closer look, permeates their black veneer. Visible joists were covered with black milk paint, with a floor on top of them so that the wood is visible. White subway tile on the walls flanks concrete countertops, and glass blocks from an old building in Tulsa, Oklahoma, separate the kitchen from a bathroom but allow light to shine through (as well as down the staircase when the bathroom is in use). A high-design Italian light fixture from the 1950s punctuates the space, with nearly all of the home’s light fixtures - such as the main salon’s Vassilakis Takis colored lights on stalks display - offering some kind of pedigree, according to Swartz. “The kitchen actually has an old feel without any particular reference to time,” he affirmed.

Lie Back and Think of England

Recalling the homeowner’s English roots and dry sense of humor, Swartz said a problem arose when the mechanical system had to be placed outside, up high, in plain sight of the bedroom. A resulting abstract steel pyramid design, in a kind of homage to artist Sol LeWitt whose actual work can be found in other places inside and outside the building, was cut by computer to form what is affectionately called “mechanical lingerie” or the “secular steeple.” In short, it camouflages the mechanical hardware and reflects the rooftops of Great Britain. And where the loft itself utilizes floor-to-ceiling glass to appreciate the view of the gardens below, the façade of the first floor caretaker’s unit - in a nod to history and for privacy - is clad in something resembling Victorian-era pressed metal, similar to what’s seen on ceilings in old stores or in restaurants.

The overall structure, which Swartz said is not a restoration but in sustainable terms a reuse of an old building, is compared, by the architect, to a chef who might find some less contemporary thought-of foods, such as venison or cornbread, and use them in a whole new way. “It doesn’t have a static view of either architecture or history,” Swartz said about the home. “It’s a serious building, done with an open-minded sense of humor. It’s not trying to be old or modern or opulent or minimalist or anything. It’s more of a celebration of life.”

DC's Highest Retail Site

Tenleytown, averse to larger developments in demand around the rest of Washington DC, must get its much-needed retail in little bursts. Such is the case at 4619 41st Street, at Wisconsin Avenue, which happens to be the highest retail point in the city - elevation, that is. But just because it is located on the side of Fort Reno, don't expect grand views; the building will rise only 4 stories, nearly opposite the Metro station, with space for "1 or 2 restaurants," a small retail element in the basement, office space, and a small number of residences above.

The owner 4619 41st LLC has begun construction on the site, certainly better known for what it was than what it will be. The land abuts the landmarked Western Union tower, an art deco, 73-foot limestone tower designed as a microwave relay station to replace wired telegraphy, the first structure in the country built for that purpose. The construction site also was used briefly by American Tower for a 760-foot behemoth that would have dwarfed others nearby, but was heavily protested by neighbors who fought the concentration of radio towers on the visible site. The tower was about 50% completed when the city forced it to halt construction, the tower sat half-finished for several years before coming down in 2007.

Engineers for the site call the project one of the more technically difficult sites to work on, with the tiny site adjoining the Western Union tower and Dancing Crab, both of which have to be dug below and underpinned, caisson footings from the removed radio tower have to be excavated, and a Metro tunnel underneath that WMATA doesn't really want punctured.

The engineering firm seems up to the task. KCE Structural Engineers has been part of $42 billion worth of construction projects, having engineered Washington Harbor, Federal Triangle, the John Wilson building addition, Bethesda Metro Center, the PTO building in Alexandria, and Arena Stage. KCE Principal Allyn Kilsheimer has a more personal connection with the construction site, having grown up in the neighborhood and having been part of the engineering team that readapted the Western Union tower as a junior engineer at Beall & Lemay in the early '60's. Kilsheimer went on to found KCE in 1968, engineering buildings throughout DC and beyond. With such eminence in the engineering world, Kilsheimer was called to the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001, but, barely en route, got the call that he was needed at the Pentagon and had to turn around. Kilsheimer went on to lead the Phoenix Project team, which rebuilt the Pentagon under budget and ahead of schedule.

"This is a very, very complicated building" said Kilsheimer. "We're now doing the underpinning of the Crab Shack and tower, the foundation should be laid in 3-4 months." Georgetown based Grupo7, which has worked with the Ed Peete company on numerous interior designs and restaurant build-outs, is providing architectural design. With Tenley's Babes and Safeway going nowhere, the new restaurants will add some flavor at the top of DC.



Washington DC real estate development news

Adams Morgan's Champlain Street Slated for a Residential Uprising

Just east of the main night life drag - 18th Street in Adams Morgan - in Reed-Cook is Champlain Street, pegged as a prime area for residential development, despite the street's struggle to overcome a crime-ridden reputation thanks to a dead end that brought cops staked out in squad cars over the past few years. Now, three projects, that will bring a combined 90 residential units to the street, look to be making moves in the next one-to-six months, the first of which will be one that was sidelined in 2009, D.B. Lee Development's boutique "Eden" condo.

Bill Bonstra designed it several years ago, the market softened, but that area of the city has seen a lot of interest, like the Brass Knob project.  "Eden - hence the name - is really about the outdoors, sustainability, and is actually designed to take advantage of the maximum sun angles of the property." "Most outdoor space for as many of the units as possible." combo of masonry and "metal panels that slice through the building almost like a knife." Fits into the neighborhood context by maintaining the street wall. 18 units, very spacious. 4 story, wood-frame on podium, parking along the back. "is really expressive of its name."

The condominium designed by Bonstra | Haresign will replace two 3-story brick rowhouses at 2358 and 2360 Champlain St; permits to level these and make way for the second coming of "the promised land" are pending. A building permit, approved two years ago, was reinstated at the end of August and an assistant with D.B. Lee confirmed that the project aims to be underway soon, with financing secured this summer.

Since 2009, the number of condo units to be tucked into the Eden has doubled, as verified by a Champlain Street neighbor, "I believe the developer is adjusting to market conditions and reducing the square footage and increasing the number of units [from 9] to 18."

The Eden will be built directly across the street from D.B. Lee's last boutique (11-unit) condo project The Erie at 2351 Champlain, completed in 2009. The Erie property is saddled up to an infill site at 2337 that was purchased in July and will be turned into a 40-unit, PGN Architects-designed condo by Federal Capital Partners and Altus Realty Partners. Construction is in the design phase and is expected to be underway in late spring/early summer of 2012.

On the other side of FCP's property, still an apple's throw away from the Eden, is the 1950s-era auto dealership and plating shop at 2329/2335 approved as a 31-unit residential project currently listed for sale with CBRE. The broker asserts there has been promising interest of late.

At the top of Champlain, only 200' north of the Eden and the Erie, developers continue to wrangle with the design for the reinvention of the 100-year-old First Church of Christ Scientist at 1700 Euclid Street NW. With a substantial footprint, the project will also extend down Champlain and overtake the headquarters of the Washington City Paper. The plan is to create a 227-room luxury hotel by the boutique-hotel mastermind Ian Schrager, with ongoing community debate over the potential effect it could have on Adams Morgan, and wide eyes regarding the $46 million tax break from the District.

It remains to be seen whether new residential in the middle of Champlain will significantly impact the street, and if the luxury-hotel-created ritz at Euclid Street will trickle all the way down Champlain to the historically rough end at Kalorama Road, recently improved with a new, flashy mural.

Washington D.C. real estate development news

Falkland Chase To Begin Review Process

Home Properties is set to unveil their Falkland Chase redevelopment plans later this fall. The proposed development site is 9.7 acres of land at the northeast corner of 16th Street and East-West Highway in Silver Spring. The recently revised plans call for the currently standing 180 garden apartments to be demolished in order to make way for an urban infill, multi-building complex totaling some 1,250 rental apartments upon completion. The developers had first proposed stacking over 1,000 units into a single high rise, but smartened up when they realized such a large building would not go over well with the surrounding community. Last week the Montgomery County Planning Board approved a 60 day extension of the Project Plan Review phase, meaning developers will now present their plans to the Board on October 13th. In the works since 2006, just last year the developers caved to pressure from local preservationists and designated two parcels of the Falkland Chase Apartments complex as historic. But that hasn't stopped the developers from moving forward with their massive redevelopment of the northern portion of the property.

Master-planning was done by Shalom Baranes Architects. Four separate buildings (two of which rise 12 or 13 stories), connected by pedestrian pathways, will surround pockets of green space and landscaped courtyards featuring a swimming pool, pond, and water fountain. Nelson Byrd Woltz shouldered the landscape design work. Over 150 units will be designated as moderately priced, serving those making 50-65% AMI, while at least another 59 will be reserved as workforce housing. Also divided amongst the four buildings is the proposed 70,000 s.f. of retail space, with the 20,000 s.f. anchor space set to become a major grocery store. Although nothing is official, Home Properties expects to wrap up negotiations to bring Harris Teeter to the development shortly. The other retail venues will likely feature a mix of restaurants, dry cleaners, and convenience stores. A four story (half below grade, half above) 1,600-space garage will satisfy the parking needs of future residents and shoppers.

Sustainability will be a major factor given the project's proximity to the fragile Rock Creek watershed. Developers have committed to earning at least a LEED Silver Certification, and have promised to recycle as much of the construction waste as humanly possible. Several green roofs, rain gardens, and infiltration beds and cisterns will assist in collecting and processing storm runoff.

The review process is bound to shed light on some public criticism, as at least a few neighbors will be upset with the scope of the project. Developers are pushing to the ceiling on all the zoning specifications, proposing the maximum 3.0 FAR, 166 units per acre, and 143 feet in building height.

Detailed architectural renderings have not been released, although designers describe their material palate as consisting of the usual brick masonry, metal, cast stone and glass. The contemporary facades will also feature a variety of balconies, bays and exterior spaces.

Silver Spring, MD Real Estate Development News