124-Unit Micro Studio Development on North Capitol Will Deliver in Late 2015

• October 24, 2014
• 5 Comments

by UrbanTurf Staff

A 124-unit building on North Capitol Street that will provide micro studio apartments to disabled veterans is under construction and will deliver in late 2015, UrbanTurf has learned.

North Capitol Commons, located at 1005 North Capitol Street NW (map), is being constructed by SIGAL Construction and was designed by Sorg Architects. The developer is Be The Change Development Corporation.

The 14-story building will consist of 12 floors of micro studio rentals, ranging in size from 330 to 405 square feet, that will sit over office and retail space on the first two levels. In addition to a lounge and fitness center, the building will also have conference space and social services for residents.

Sorg Architects describes the design of the building as follows:

The design of North Capitol Commons engages its historic context with a slim, modulated massing that takes advantage of views of the U.S. Capitol and Washington’s monuments to the north and south and also provides outdoor terraces and increased daylighting to the interior of units. The extensive use of glazing throughout maximizes natural light in common corridors, enlivening interior spaces and connecting residents to the larger urban context.

Rendering courtesy of Sorg Architects.

This article originally published at http://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/124-unit_micro_studio_development_on_north_capitol_will_deliver_in_late_201/9136

5 Comments

1. skidrowedc@gmail.com said at 8:03 pm on Friday October 24, 2014:
   I'm thrilled at the program. We need so much new housing, of many different types, to give veterans the quality of post-war life they have earned. This is a very decent start. One can imagine the walls of glass, the daylit corridors, etc. I'm not so thrilled with the exterior design. It's basically the zoning envelope with an little twist. The twist is interesting and has potential, but it doesn't have much relationship to anything. (Interestingly, with the exception of the church, the rendering suggests that there is no context to draw from, just bland gridded boxes. But we know that's not the case, and besides, there's the church right there, pointedly ignored by its new neighbor.) Certainly, the design doesn't maximize daylight and views. Otherwise why would the blocks facing North Capitol Street be windowless on the sides, which could have 1) the southern light and 2) spectacular views of the Capitol dome? Those are the single best view locations in the entire building! It doesn't create a "slim" building -- quite the opposite, it takes a zoning envelope which is taller than it is wide (fairly rare in DC) and imposes a somewhat clunky horizontality. The exception to this is the inner corner, with a vertical strip of windows that presumably light the corridors. It actually is slim, daylights the interiors, and connects the building to the larger urban context. Which is to say that it's the only part of the design where the architect's statement rings true, and not coincidentally, the best part. I'm also not seeing all the terraces that the massing supposedly produces. I can see where they could be--at protruding corners or the offset blocks--but they aren't there. Cool-and-distinctive, which this design is, doesn't have to mean unrelated to the context. We can have our cake and eat it too. Just gotta try a little harder.

1. Dude with computer said at 5:10 pm on Saturday October 25, 2014:
   I have yet to see a design by Sorg that improves the beauty of the neighborhood. Let's hope this is nothing like the Solea on 14th, which looks like a detention center. Most of their designs suffer from an overreliance on concrete and seem neo-Brutalist. Please remember that being edgy is more about ego than design and is not a substitute for beauty.

1. miwi98 said at 9:44 pm on Tuesday November 4, 2014:
   I guess it is a step in the right direction but why are the apartments "micro studio" isn't that small? Section 8 people get larger apartments than that and Senior citizens too therefore Veterans deserve the same if not more.

1. lapopessa said at 9:12 pm on Monday May 4, 2015:
   I am stunned that this is being allowed to be built 14 stories high! It's a wonderful and needed project, but 12 stories would help people and not ruin the neighborhood with one more pop up.

1. Nancy said at 9:37 pm on Tuesday May 26, 2015:
   I think this is a step in the right direction for something needed. But it shouldn't muck up the neighborhood. What is the difference between this and the pop ups we're all trying to stop? It's 14 stories high against that poor dwarfed church on one side and the abandoned Kaiser building on the other. It's just going to look like it's giving the city the finger.