Firm

The USGBC National Capital Region (USGBC NCR) has named City Ridge a finalist in its 2021 Project Awards, which honor “innovative, high-performance projects that are leading the way to a greener tomorrow for all in the DC metro region.” City Ridge is the first project in the District of Columbia – and the second in the United States – to achieve LEED v4 Neighborhood Development Gold certification. The project has also been nominated for a People’s Choice Award, which will be voted upon during the USGBC NCR virtual Midsummer Night’s Green celebration on July 22, 2021.

SBA’s design for a new 260-foot residential/mixed-use tower at 1901 N. Moore Street in Rosslyn was unanimously approved by the Arlington County Board. The project will provide market rate and affordable housing, infrastructure to support bicyclists and pedestrians, and sustainable design features to achieve LEED Gold certification.

The Summer 2021 issue of ArchitectureDC includes a feature article on 655 New York Avenue, NW in its review of forward-looking workplaces. The LEED Gold project integrates 19 historic buildings with 11 stories of new construction. Author Ronald O’Rourke notes that “SBA’s design for the project didn’t just save those buildings’ facades—in most cases, their entire masonry shells were preserved” and remarks on how the design combines “angular, straight-sided elements with boldly curving forms.” The author also questions how future office design may be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Principal Patrick Burkhart, AIA remarked that “a few broad themes appear to be evolving, including programming and spatial design that fosters social interaction both physically and electronically in a safer environment; a heightened importance of daylight, views, and ventilation; and the provision of a variety of interior and exterior office environments, including ample outdoor spaces suitable to a climate like ours.”

Read the article beginning on page 16 at http://flipbook.hbp.com/Summer2021/

Roadside Development and Dantes Partners celebrated the groundbreaking of a new 79-unit condo building at Eighth and O Streets, NW alongside the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED) and other project partners. SBA is providing full A/E services for the development, an extension of the international award-winning CityMarket at O project. The latest phase will offer market rate and affordable units in Washington, DC’s Shaw neighborhood. At the event, Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development John Falcicchio noted that “More housing – including more affordable housing – will only strengthen the Shaw neighborhood and push us closer to achieving 36,000 new housing units by 2025 including 12,000 affordable units spread across all 8 Wards.”

The Washington DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP) DC Development Report profiles major projects in development or under construction in the District of Columbia. 10 Shalom Baranes Associates (SBA) projects are included in the 2020/2021 issue’s top lists, including: 

• Three of the top 10 office projects under construction: 699 Fourteenth Street¹, City Ridge², and The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream³ 

• Two of the top 10 hospitality projects under construction: Armature Works⁴ and The Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream 

• Two projects featured in both the top 10 residential and top 10 retail projects under construction: Armature Works and City Ridge

SBA is noted as the most active architect since 2015, measured by square footage of projects in the District completed since January 2015, under construction or in the pipeline as of December 2020. Additionally: 

• MedStar Georgetown University Hospital Surgical Pavilion⁵ is one of the top 10 quality of life projects under construction
• The Cannon House Office Building Renewal (Ph III)⁶ is one of the top 10 office projects in the pipeline
• 3000 M St., NW⁷, site of the former Latham Hotel, is one of the top 10 hospitality projects in the pipeline
• The North Building at 1329 5th St., NE⁸ is one of the top 10 retail projects in the pipeline
• 1300 4^th Street, NE⁹ is featured in the residential development highlights
• El Cielo Restaurant at the 1270 4th Street, NE¹⁰ development is listed in the select retail and restaurant openings during COVID-19

Shalom Baranes, FAIA discussed the impact of the double-helix design proposed for Amazon’s second headquarters in Arlington, VA with The Washington Business Journal (WBJ). He considers the concept “a fabulous educational opportunity to show the world what a double-helix shape is” and noted that while other double-helix structures exist locally, their locations inside of parking garages do not “contribute to people's understanding of science. But suddenly, you have this double-helix, 300 feet tall, emerging from the ground. You can't ignore that anymore.” Read the full story at https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2021/02/03/architects-react-to-amazon-helix.html.

The Ames Site Redevelopment will bring 740 new residential units to Arlington, VA’s Rosslyn neighborhood, in two towers framing a central pedestrian greenway that supports the County’s walkability and
multimodal transportation goals. The project was unanimously approved by the Arlington County Board as part of its 4.1 Approval Process. The project will also redevelop an existing church atop the neighborhood’s sole gas station and is the first large-scale project in Rosslyn to include on-site affordable housing. Read more about how the development responds to key goals of the Rosslyn Sector Plan at https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/board-approves-rosslyn-ames-center-redevelopment/.