Page 49 - Fall_2021

Kitchen and living room An apartment living room in one of the former screened porches.
in one of the apartments.
complex was designed in a subdued Italian Renaissance
Revival style, with red tile roofs and relatively plain brick
façades relieved by arch-lined porches at the street-facing
ends of the wings. The dormitories were linked to the
cafeteria building by long enclosed corridors, creating a
self-contained, secure environment that sealed patients off
from the outside world.
Converting a hermetic, landmarked institutional
facility into a welcoming, modern residential community
that meets contemporary sustainability standards
required both flexible strategic thinking and sharp tactical
maneuvers. At the macro level, the architects replaced
forbidding security portals with glassy new entry pavilions,
while surrounding patches of cracked asphalt gave way
to lush landscaping (including 20 carefully preserved
“heritage” trees), playgrounds, and walking paths. The long
corridors that connected the dormitories to the cafeteria
are now lined with resident amenities such as a gym, the
mailroom, co-working spaces, bike storage rooms, and
leasing offices. A former screened porch at the end of one
dormitory wing is now a sleek shared lounge space.
At the tactical level, the design team oversaw the
restoration of more than 5,000 steel-framed single-pane
windows along with their terrazzo sills, original steel
security hardware, and ornamental grates. To meet
the environmental standards of the Enterprise Green
Communities program, which promotes sustainable design
in affordable housing projects, the architects specified
interior storm windows and furred out inside wall surfaces
to allow for new insulation. Rain gardens at the perimeter
of the site aid in stormwater management while enhancing
the appearance of the landscape.
The complex, which was developed by the Anacostia
Economic Development Corporation and Flaherty & Collins
Properties, includes four times the common space of most
similar projects. With 80% of the project’s 252 living units
designated as affordable, demand has been high. As of
the date of the project’s submission to the AIA|DC awards
program, there were more than 6,800 people on the waiting
A former patient corridor, now containing offices list for apartments in the complex.
and amenity spaces for residents.
LIVING TOGETHER 47