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ArchDC Summer 2017.qxp_Summer 2017 5/24/17 10:52 AM Page 68

facing Connecticut Avenue and lining single-loaded
corridors serving rear-facing apartments on all levels. The
quasi-public nature of these circulation spaces is evident
at night, when they are lit from within by miniature
downlights, creating what the architects describe as a
“marquee-like effect when seen from the street.”
Virtually all of the outward-facing apartments in the
building enjoy floor-to-ceiling glass, opening up vast views
for residents, especially where corner wall-windows
meet. Of course, the sightlines go both ways. As a result,
some residents intentionally or unintentionally “stage”
their windows. A passerby glancing upward from the
sidewalk might glimpse a set of drums in one, exercise
equipment in another, and a bicycle leaning up against
the glass in a third.
Pergola in the rear courtyard. Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer
From the beginning, views of nature were clearly
part of the motivation when the client announced one
day, “When I walk into the building, I want a park-like
experience!” Accordingly, the architects designed the
back two-story wall of the lobby as a glass plane over-
looking the courtyard. The courtyard itself was designed
by McCabe as “a kind of two-dimensional representation
of the angles of the building.” It included a mix of hard-
scape and lawn, plus shallow pools, outdoor patios, and
living rooms. The architects also designed pure and
peaceful silence into the mix. They did this by locating
the wings of the building where they would block street
noise. Except for sounds from the bubbling spillways of
the water channel, plus locusts, crickets, tree frogs, and
birds, the courtyard is amazingly silent.
The courtyard, which rests atop a portion of the
building’s garage, is one of two green outdoor roof
spaces. The other, on top of the building, includes,
besides gas grills and bistro tables, an infinity-edge
swimming pool, a dog park, and plenty of sky. Views
from the roof include an ocean of treetops, along with a
glimpse of the Washington Monument in the distance.
Many other amenities are provided throughout the
building to accommodate sizable gatherings and promote
mingling and interactions among residents. These include,
in the light-filled lower lobby, a business center and
group seating area; a gracious, open, model home-type
space for public entertaining; and a large, mirrored,
fully-equipped exercise center and separate yoga room,
complete with instructors.
Yet perhaps the most powerful design element
nurturing residents is the building’s glassy skin. For a
resident named Natasha, it was the view of Rock Creek
Park from her seventh-floor apartment and the nine-foot-
high, wall-to-wall windows that “stole my heart. You
wake up in the morning and you see the sunrise, or you
see the colors of the sky at night, and you don’t even
want the TV on.”

View of rear courtyard, showing the
irregular pattern of windows and balconies.

68 GEOMETRY AND GEOGRAPHY Photo © Maxwell MacKenzie Architectural Photographer