PROJECT Renovations to Public Spaces of The Crest at Congressional Plaza
LOCATION Rockville, Maryland,
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE 7/31/2014
ARCHITECT McInturff Architects
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT
OWNER/CLIENT Federal Realty Investment Trust
CONTRACTOR Added Dimensions / Alan Kanner
PHOTOGRAPHER Julia Heine
DESIGN TEAM Mark McInturff FAIA, Christopher Boyd AIA, Julia Heine
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT:
PROBLEM: The owners of this eight-year old courtyard-focused housing complex knew they had problems. The entire public space was devoted to an over-sized pool, only open one quarter of the year. The lobby/lounge had no corresponding outdoor space to spill out to in nice weather, and the lobby was not organized to encourage interaction among residents. Ground floor apartments had windows opening directly to the pool court, affording no privacy for the occupants of those units, and when the pool was closed, there was no outdoor space where residents could socialize. SOLUTION: By shrinking the pool and its dedicated fence-enclosed terrace, communal outdoor space could be created off the renovated lobby and private gardens provided for all the ground floor units facing the courtyard. The only modifications to the building itself was a new, more subtle color scheme, and the clustering of balconies into larger-scaled figures to give hierarchy to the courtyard facades, and privacy to adjacent balconies. White-painted brick piers with steel lintels are infilled with ipe fencing, forming a common language of materials used throughout. Fences facing the pool are open-wire green screens planted for privacy and visual warmth. What had been one, big undifferentiated space, devoted entirely to a seasonal use, is now 12 separately defined spaces ranging in function from private to semi-public to public.
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1 Julia Heine / McInturff Architects
IMAGE 2 Julia Heine / McInturff Architects
IMAGE 3 Julia Heine / McInturff Architects
IMAGE 4 Julia Heine / McInturff Architects
IMAGE 5 Julia Heine / McInturff Architects
IMAGE 6
IMAGE 7
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF
Renovations to Public Spaces of The Crest at Congressional Plaza
Category
AIA Chesapeake Bay > Non-Residential Architecture (AIA Chesapeake Bay) > Rehabilitation/Renovation (AIA Chesapeake Bay)
Winner Status
- Merit Award
Share