Buildings Are Organic: Catching Up on the Construction Notes for Capitol Crossing
You would be forgiven for assuming that the above image looks like the planned development for Capitol Crossing — it's actually a drawing from the plans for the same site circa 1991. These and other interesting tidbits abound on Wallace Mlyniec's Construction Notes blog, a series the Georgetown University law professor writes providing updates on and context for various developments in the city.
story continues below
loading...story continues above
The Capitol Crossing development, which will create over 2 million square feet of mixed-use space above the I-395 on-ramp at the intersections of Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Street and E Street NW (map), has been of particular interest to Mlyniec recently.
Comprehensive and well-researched, Mlyniec's posts delve into the bygone history of proposed development at sites like the center-leg freeway, for which plans sat in limbo for over a decade before Property Group Partners initiated its now-under construction project. However, specific developments are also used as a point of departure for Mylniec to recount the history of specific aspects of architecture, from the general aesthetic of housing in the city over time to the history of windows and building materials.
He also infuses his entries with descriptive and rich prose, incorporating passages like the following:
Buildings are organic. Like humans, the grandeur or simplicity of their outer shell would be lifeless without a brain to control its life, without arteries and veins to control its warmth and bring nutrients to its body, and without a soul or spirit to animate it and give purpose to its being. The people who live and work in a building provide the spirit or soul that brings expression to its purpose; but it is the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, the brain and vascular system of a building that allows the life inside it to thrive and to emanate its spirit.
Previously, Mlyniec sent his Notes out to his students, peers and friends; now, the Notes are hosted online for general consumption, opening his insights up to a larger audience.
See other articles related to: capitol crossing, construction, construction notes
This article originally published at https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/catching-up-on-the-construction-notes-for-capitol-crossing/13745.
Most Popular... This Week • Last 30 Days • Ever
Roadside Development filed a sketch plan with Montgomery County this month for the 30... read »
The Matthew is located on 9th Street, overlooking the iconic Naylor Court and neighbo... read »
Construction continues humming along on several developments on the uppermost stretch... read »
Today, we take a closer look at home insurance.... read »
Unlike other new residential developments in the city, all of the apartments will be ... read »
- A First Look At The 525-Unit Development That Will Incorporate Silver Spring's Tastee Diner
- Nine Stylish Condominiums Debut in Shaw's Iconic Naylor Court
- The 1,600 Units In The Walter Reed/Takoma Development Pipeline
- A Look at What is Covered By Home Insurance
- 8-Unit Project + Restaurant Proposed Along Georgetown Canal
DC Real Estate Guides
Short guides to navigating the DC-area real estate market
We've collected all our helpful guides for buying, selling and renting in and around Washington, DC in one place. Start browsing below!
First-Timer Primers
Intro guides for first-time home buyers
Unique Spaces
Awesome and unusual real estate from across the DC Metro