PROJECT Capitol Vista
ARCHITECT Grimm + Parker Architects
LOCATION  Washington, District of Columbia US

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  9/1/2020
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM  Ashish Mayer, Yulia Parr, Stephen Rosenfelder, Lauren Kuhens, Mel Thompson, Antonio Rebelo
OWNER/CLIENT Dantes Partners
CONTRACTOR/CONSTRUCTION MANAGER  Hamel Builders of Washington DC, LLC
PHOTOGRAPHER  Sam Kittner, Martice Tucker
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Wiles Mensch Corporation
CIVIL ENGINEER Wiles Mensch Corporation
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER Smislova, Kehnemui & Associates, P.A.
MECHANICAL ENGINEER Century Engineering
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER Century Engineering
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SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
Capitol Vista is in the heart of Washington DC, surrounded by a diverse mosaic of well-established downtown neighborhoods. This area of Mount Vernon Triangle is known for its vibrancy, with bustling restaurants, retailers, Class A office spaces, and approx. 4,000 DUs — existing or under construction. The location provides a unique opportunity to have a direct access to the entire DC region as well as local access without a need for keeping a car — a recent trend to downtown living!

The building design draws inspiration from New York’s Flatiron building and other contemporary buildings and iconic structures of distinctive, cutting-edge designs. Conforming to the triangular site, the building utilizes bold forms and prominent horizontal lines that pronounce the structure and draw one’s eyes along a rhythmic grid. Terracotta colored cementitious panels add a visual accent, and the large windows provide uninterrupted views of the skyline from all sides. The elevated terrace features a trellis on the SE rooftop as an area of leisure for tenants and announces the corner of the building, in deference to the framed views of The Capitol and The Washington Monument.

The project is Enterprise Green Communities certified for v2015 and Energy Star compliance, with a target of over 15% energy use reduction above and beyond the DC standard of ASHRAE 2010. Capitol Vista succeeds in achieving that by providing residential units for tenants with incomes as low as 30% of the area’s median income, and up to a maximum of 50% of the area’s median income, for all 104 residential units in the building, without compromising on quality that equates to luxury living.

The building sits on a modest 9,653 SF triangular site framed by sidewalk on all three sides. Moreover, grade changes approx. 13 ft from South to North. This created unique challenges for design:

1. Affordable Multifamily vs Highrise concrete building: The concrete structure was designed with efficient use of column spacing that made the structure rather simple. Stairs and Elevator shafts were used to provide lateral shear support. The entire envelop has minimal undulations, and most changes on façade were addressed by incorporating varying finish projections.

2. Parking vs Shape of site: Zoning required 18 parking spaces while the shape and size of site could not yield more than 4 spaces at the cost of losing access to the building at grade level. Multiple studies were done to provide supporting evidence that a structured parking will not fit within the building footprint. Various economic models were also created to support the argument that helped design team secure a waiver from parking requirements.

3. Unit design vs Shape of site: Due to shape, and a need to create an efficient building, the vertical core elements were set closer to the wider southern area of the site. All DUs were designed to specific to their location and views they offered. At the narrowest corner of the site a single loaded corridor was used to maximize utilization of the building footprint.

JURY COMMENTS (If applicable)

MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF

IMAGES (Captions and Photographer Credit)
1. Aspiring Affordable Living © Martice Tucker
2. Aspiring Affordable Living © Martice Tucker
3. Entry Lobby © Martice Tucker
4. South-west facade © Sam Kittner
5. Exterior Entrance © Martice Tucker
6. © Martice Tucker
7. Rooftop Terrace © Martice Tucker
8. North facade inspired by the Flatiron Building in NY © Sam Kittner