Page 65 - ArchDC_Spring 2020

Photo © Jeffrey Sauers Living/dining area of a larger unit. Photo © Jeffrey Sauers

set aside as a landscaped public park providing a
pedestrian shortcut from the Union Market area to
the New York Avenue Metro Station (the construction
of that station along the long-completed Red Line
served as a catalyst for the redevelopment of the entire
area). ECA collaborated with Lee and Associates Inc.,
a landscape architecture firm, on the design of the
terraced park, which complements the architecture of
the building itself.
Most major building projects encounter some
surprises during the construction process, but the
Highline faced a particularly unexpected challenge as
the building was nearing completion. “We were almost
ready for occupancy,” said principal Eric Colbert, AIA,
“when our clients entered into an agreement to convert
some of the larger units into co-living spaces. That
meant adding a bedroom where the living area used
to be in about a third of the units, plus making other
necessary adjustments.” Such co-living arrangements,
which are intended to cater to younger tenants looking
for a more communal living situation, are not new,
but are usually designed as such from the start. This
last-minute change during the Highline’s construction
forced ECA to rethink many aspects of the affected
apartments while minimizing disruption to already
completed units.
The Highline’s name, of course, is partially an
homage to the much-vaunted, raised linear park of the
same name in New York City. It also refers, however,
to the site’s proximity to the elevated railroad tracks.
Seen from passing trains, the project has already
become a popular landmark—a symbol of a revitalized
neighborhood, and the thriving city around it.

Photo © Jeffrey Sauers

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