In Washington D.C., a new condo building is slated to go up alongside a historic church—and incorporate the church into its design.
Sorg Architects unveiled a design scheme for 40 condos in a six-story building, which will wrap around the church. The church itself is designated a historic site. Four residential units will be built within, one for each floor. Sorg has already done extensive renovations and structural work on the church, given that it acquired the structure in 2006 and has been planning this condo building ever since. (In 2006, the firm presented a similar design to the Historic Presentation Review Board, but the project was shelved during the recession.)
Sorg presented the design for the project on Monday January 27, and it was approved by the Advisory Neighborhood Committee 1B, along with two zoning variances. However, a committee member objected to the design, comparing it to other generic-looking condo buildings in the D.C. area.
Sorg Architects principal Suman Sorg responded that the core of the complex’s design is dictated by the church, and that the finished project would likely look very different from the presented rendering.
“The materiality of this building will be very different,” said said, according to Urban Turf. “Since the basic structure is sort of prescribed, we feel we can accentuate (the architecture) with the material choices.”
The two zoning variances the firm is pursuing involve the rear setback of the building and the lot occupancy, which in the current plan is 10 percent higher than dictated.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jul 17, 2018
Transwestern report: Office buildings near transit earn 65% higher lease rates
Analysis of 15 major metros shows the average rent in central business districts was $43.48/sf for transit-accessible buildings versus $26.01/sf for car-dependent buildings.
Architects | Jul 10, 2018
AEC marketing fundamentals can still have a role in winning new business
In our Internet-fueled world, it’s easy to get distracted by the latest online tools. But the boring stuff is still important, and you don’t want to lose sight of old-school techniques that are just as persuasive now as they were a few decades ago.
Adaptive Reuse | Jul 9, 2018
Work, park, live: Inside Cincinnati’s parking garage turned lifestyle hotel
The Summit hotel and conference center is a converted parking garage that was once a factory.
Architects | Jun 28, 2018
Designing successful maker spaces
The challenge is to design makerspaces that work, spaces that function as a tool for educators to produce better students.
Architects | Jun 27, 2018
Steven A. Lichtenberger joins Leo A Daly as President
He will lead the firm’s global planning, architecture, engineering, and interiors practice worldwide.
Accelerate Live! | Jun 24, 2018
Watch all 19 Accelerate Live! talks on demand
BD+C’s second annual Accelerate Live! AEC innovation conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago) featured talks on AI for construction scheduling, regenerative design, the micro-buildings movement, post-occupancy evaluation, predictive visual data analytics, digital fabrication, and more. Take in all 19 talks on demand.
Building Team | Jun 22, 2018
What owners should know before choosing the design-build project delivery method
Outside of drawing up a well-written contract, owners often overlook a key attribute that can significantly impact the success of a design-build project, writes Skanska’s Julie Hyson.
Architects | Jun 14, 2018
Chicago Architecture Center sets Aug. 31 as opening date
The Center is located at 111 E. Wacker Drive.
Multifamily Housing | Jun 13, 2018
Multifamily visionaries: KTGY’s extraordinary expectations
KTGY Architecture + Planning keeps pushing the boundaries of multifamily housing design in the U.S., Asia, and the Middle East.
| Jun 11, 2018
Accelerate Live! talk: Regenerative design — When sustainability is not enough
In this 15-minute talk at BD+C’s Accelerate Live! conference (May 10, 2018, Chicago), HMC’s Eric Carbonnier poses the question: What if buildings could actually rejuvenate ecosystems?