WEST END SQUARE 37
Washington, DC. USA 2010

The project’s location in the heart of the West End neighborhood of Washington DC, is located primarily on a quiet block of L Street, between 23 rd and 24 th streets, but can be seen from multiple main vehicular arteries, including Washington Circle. The site offers great opportunities to generate a unique sculptural form that reflects its confluence as a neighborhood situated between other iconic D.C. areas such as the National Mall, Georgetown and Dupont Circle. As one approaches the building, the rational, uniform stepping of the building facade becomes clear, individualizing and expressing each residential unit. From inside the building, this stepping enables most units to have corner windows that provide views down those same corridors from which the building is viewed from the neighborhood. This visual exchange can be moderated by the residents through the use of a double skin façade comprised of an aluminum window wall with exterior venetian blinds. These blinds also serve to help the project reach LEED Gold by providing sun shading to minimize solar heat gains. The program includes over 174 luxury apartments, a library, a street-side café and retail spaces.