This 500+ residential project is set in the Metropolitan Park development in Pentagon City. The massing, which was originally two buildings, is a spiral of stepped roofs joined by a glass bridge. The 21-story tower is oriented to minimize the impact on the Eads Street elevation and to keep space between itself and the 21-story tower to the north. The 18-story tower steps down to engage the center courtyard that spills into the public park at the center of the block.
The facade is distinct but cohesive between the two masses. The tower has a dark brick, two story grid filled in with glass and light grey metal panel. The mid-rise tower has a light grey, brick grid filled in with red brick and glass.
The design was impacted greatly by the iterative Arlington County design approval process. This process consisted of multiple weeks of meetings with county staff and community members. The feedback was incorporated into the project to create a design that pleased all parties.
The residential units were designed to be efficient and maximize the small footprint of most units. With the limited 9’-8” floor-to-floor height, maximizing ceiling height was also important. These constraints required close coordination with the MEP engineers and the structural engineers to refine RCPs and unit layouts.
The unit finishes were split between the two towers with the tall tower having the ‘darker’ more modern materials and the mid-rise tower having a lighter palette. Both unit types share similar materials to make the building cohesive, but they are different to give renters options.
The light design consists of light wood cabinets, light wood floors, warm kitchen counters and a white subway tile backsplash.
The dark design consists of white shaker cabinets, dark wood floors, white kitchen counters and a white herringbone tile backsplash.
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