CycleHouse | Washington, DC
When this project first came onto our radar we immediately recognized that the currently vacant site at the intersection of Bates Street and North Capitol Street NW had wonderful potential for a development that could help to revitalize the stretch of North Capitol Street between Florida Avenue and New York Avenue. Our design for the project was selected by DMPED as the winning design with great support from the neighborhood at large and a unanimous vote of support from the local Bates Area Civic Association.
Our design devotes the entire street level for neighborhood-serving retail space that will host a family restaurant with its entrance facing North Capitol Street and another small retail space fronting Bates Street. The massing of the building was developed with respect to the character and existing buildings along the two street frontages, each having its own distinct character. On the North Capitol Street frontage the building is 4 stories with larger openings addressing the commercial character of the street. In contrast, the building steps down to 3 stories along the Bates Street frontage with a series of bay window projections which are patterned after the rhythm of the narrow row-houses that line this narrow one-way residential street. The upper stories of the building contain 15 long-term affordable residential apartments bringing much needed opportunities for workforce housing available to persons earning 50-60% of the area's medium income. Each apartment has its own private outdoor balcony overlooking the street below and the building includes a common roof deck at the west end of the building to give residents the welcome amenity of outdoor space. The building was designed to target bicycle, mass-transit, and pedestrian-oriented residents and includes an indoor secure bicycle room for bicycle parking and maintenance. The building is designed as a net-zero energy building featuring renewable energy, low CO2 emissions, and zero storm-water runoff from the site.