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Living and dining areas
of the Waterview Condominiium.

Photo © Anice Hoachlander / Hoachlander Davis Photography
Merit Award in Interior Architecture

Waterview Condominium
Arlington, VA
Robert M. Gurney, FAIA,
Architect
Structural Engineers: Tadjer-Cohen-Edelson Associates, Inc.
General Contractor: Peterson & Collins, Inc.

Like the Spy House, the Waterview Condominium by Robert M.
Gurney, FAIA, is a renovation of a formerly undistinguished
apartment with spectacular views. Occupying part of the 30th
floor of a mixed-use tower in Rosslyn, Arlington’s commercial Living area with bookcase/room divider in the background.
center, the apartment has three generous exposures. Residents
Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer
and guests can enjoy panoramic vistas toward Georgetown, the
National Mall, the Potomac River, and Arlington National Cemetery. Rationalizing the haphazard ceiling planes proved to be a more
Prior to renovation, the apartment suffered from a disjointed challenging task. Early investigations revealed that many of the
layout and irregular ceiling planes that detracted from the views. distracting bumps in the ceiling concealed vital building components,
Gurney devised a more open floor plan that nonetheless allows for such as fire-suppression systems and roof drains. In an if-you-
clear distinctions between public and private spaces, and between can’t-beat-them-join-them moment, Gurney ultimately decided to
formal and informal uses. In lieu of drywall partitions, spaces are accept the tangled web of pipes and ducts and treat it as the basis for
largely defined by bookcases, closets, and cabinetry, contributing an exuberant faceted ceiling. Now that the apartment is complete,
to a sense of depth and layering throughout the apartment. A the folded plane suggests an abstracted cloud, and successfully leads
rich catalogue of finish materials, including steel panels, white the eye toward the perimeter windows and the views beyond.
glass, natural slate, western red cedar, and granite, adds warmth The Waterview Condominium was previously featured in the
and texture. Summer 2018 issue of ARCHITECTUREDC.

70 BESPOKE LIVING