4719 Hampden Lane and 4720 Montgomery Lane

Downtown Bethesda

Washington Property Company has plans to redevelop an assemblage at 4719 Hampden Lane and 4720 Montgomery Lane into a slender, 26-story, 260-unit residential tower. The site's unusual shape — a triangular block formed by Montgomery, East, and Hampden Lanes — has pushed the design in an interesting direction. Rather than fighting the geometry, architect Design Collective used it as a reason to strip the building down, stepping and narrowing it as it rises rather than stacking a uniform tower straight up. Two masonry bookends anchor the north and south ends, while the floors in between cascade toward Hampden Lane in a way that keeps the building looking slim from most angles. Tall vertical columns running up the middle of the facade drive that effect further — included specifically to make the building read as thin and tall, not just as a structural necessity. The ground floor is lined with transparent facades, resident lounges, co-working space, and a fitness center meant to activate all three street frontages