Page 56 - Winter_2018

ArchDC Winter 2018.qxp_Winter 2018 11/27/18 9:39 AM Page 54

New reception desk in the Hyde Park condominium lobby. All photos © Paul Burk except as noted
Award for Excellence in Interior Architecture The design approach begins with bringing more light into the
space, which has a relatively low ceiling height due to the existing
Hyde Park Lobby Renovation structure. Daylight streaming in through existing floor-to-ceiling
Arlington, VA windows is captured and reflected by blue-tinted lacquered wall
panels lining the side walls. These panels also reflect the greenery
EL Studio outside, bringing nature into the sleek, minimalist interior. The
painted gypsum-board ceiling has recessed LED lighting linked to
Interior Designers: EL Studio
daylight sensors for energy efficiency.
Structural Engineers: Linton Engineers
A custom millwork reception desk acts as both centerpiece and
MEP Engineers: Charles Ford Associates
divider. Resembling the rounded prow of a ship, the curvilinear
General Contractor: Corbet Construction
desk directs the flow of residents and business tenants to the
elevator lobby and commercial spaces to one side, and mail and
At its best, architecture elevates problem-solving to an art form.
package deliveries to the other. The ceiling plane, echoing the
This is particularly true of renovations, where designers don’t have
shape of the desk, is modulated with a recessed soffit highlighted
the luxury of beginning with a blank canvas. The Hyde Park Lobby
by continuous perimeter LED cove lighting.
Renovation, designed by EL Studio, is an exemplar of its genre.
Moving further into the interior and away from the windows,
The Hyde Park condominium building in Arlington, Virginia,
the lighting becomes brighter to help the space feel continuous.
was designed in the late 1960s by Vlastimil Koubek. The high-
Wood wall panels wrapping the reception desk and elevator lobby
modernist exterior, typical for high-rise apartment buildings of its
are mounted above the floor and stop short of the coved ceiling,
era, is clad in buff-colored brick and punctuated with projecting
appearing to float. These and many other thoughtful details have
concrete balconies and a low-slung, deep canopy over the main
transformed a formerly dark and dysfunctional space into one that
entrance. However, the building’s lobby, last renovated in the early
artfully marries form and function.
1980s, was incongruous: think floral wallpaper, brass chandeliers,
and ornamental woodwork. Beyond the stylistic clash with the
exterior, the lobby also had functional flaws—a lack of space for
mail and package deliveries and a single, narrow circulation path
for all building users and visitors, which created wear and tear on
the already dated finishes.
The building’s owners hired EL Studio, based in Washington
and New York, to refresh the lobby and address these functional
shortcomings. The architects evaluated the design problem—as
they phrased it, “put the people in one place and the packages
in another”—and created a subtle, thoughtful solution that
maximizes the 2,500-square-foot space.

Exterior entrance.
54 MULTI-FAMILY AFFAIR