The District Architecture Center Opens to the Public

As a collaboration between the Washington Architectural Foundation and AIA DC, the District Architecture Center (DAC) is a place to celebrate architecture. On November 4, the DAC hosted their Grand Opening at their new location at 421 7th Street NW, Washington, DC. Cunningham | Quill Architects was in attendance, including Founding Principals Lee Quill, FAIA and Ralph Cunningham, FAIA, who also serves as the Vice President of the Washington Architectural Foundation.

Cunningham | Quill Architects staff at the District Architecture Center Opening.
Image appears courtesy of DC Modern Luxury, and was taken by Daniel Schwartz Photography.

At the event, winners of the DAC Service Awards were honored along with this year's newest DC area Fellows of the American Institute of Architects, which included Lee Quill, FAIA. Attendees also shared in the celebration of the Washington Architectural Foundation’s and the AIA DC Chapter’s future.

AIA DC and the DAC recognized this year's newest members of the College of Fellows.
Lee Quill, FAIA on the right.

National AIA Recognizes Northern Virginia AIA Design Award Winners

Back in June, we were excited to share our sixth AIA Award for Mother & Child. Now the project, along with the other winners of the AIA Northern Virginia Chapter Design Awards, is being recognized on AIA National's website.

The design award slideshow was one of the most viewed items in the last month. To view the slideshow for yourself, visit AIA National.

Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center Takes Silver

The 2011 Brick in Architecture Awards have been announced, and Cunningham | Quill Architects has won a Silver Award for its Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center on the campus of The College of William & Mary.

Side Elevation

Winners were selected based on their use of brick, including: aesthetics, quality, environmental friendliness, long-term durability, and design flexibility through color, texture, rhythm, human scale, pattern and repetition. Award-winning projects came from 25 states, reflecting the national reach this program.

Stadium Entrance with New Tower on Left and Existing Tower on Right

“This year’s winning projects showed a growing trend toward brick as the main element in sustainable design that delivers aesthetic flexibility that matches the architect’s imagination and desires,” said BIA President and CEO Gregg Borchelt, P.E.

Rear Elevations at Dusk

Winners will be listed in the December 2011 issues of Brick in Architecture and Architect Magazines. If you would like to see the complete list of winners before publication, please see the 2011 Brick in Architecture Award Winners press release. To learn more information about the Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center, visit Cunningham | Quill Architects.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Mount Rainier Mixed-Use Town Center Development Plan (Week 15)

Located at the northeast entrance to Washington, DC, the City of Mount Rainier, MD was interested in improving its urban environment. In an effort to develop a new community-supported vision for the City that was founded on current and projected economic and market analysis, the CQA team (Bolan Smart, Gorove/Slade, R. McGhee & Associates, and Urban Advantage) designed the Mount Rainier Mixed-Use Town Center Development Plan. The Plan looks back to the city’s history as a successful mixed-use neighborhood, using a fine-grained approach, preserving buildings and inserting new infill structures.

Rendering of Rhode Island Avenue

The design process began with multiple site tours, interviews, and stakeholder meetings. A series of charrettes and community meetings were held throughout the process to ensure public participation and involvement.

Community Workshop & Charrette Session

Envisioning the area as a vital, pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use town center with a special focus on the city’s artistic, historic, and environmental traditions, the final development plan includes implementation strategies, draft form-based code development/design guidelines, and transportation, land use, and sustainable infrastructure recommendations.

The Mount Rainier Mixed-Use Town Center Development Plan has received strong city, county and community support. Serving as an example of how historic neighborhoods can overcome past disinvestment and plan for a brighter future, the plan is currently being adopted as a prototype for other historic town centers in Prince George’s County, Maryland.

Illustrative Plan

The Mount Rainier Mixed-Use Town Center plan has received two AIA Awards for its excellence in Master Planning and Urban Design, and has also been featured in Urban Land Magazine.

Mother & Child Wins Its Sixth AIA Award

Ralph Cunningham, FAIA and Sarah Shipp, AIA with Scott Matties, AIA, LEED-AP.

Cunningham | Quill Architects attended the AIA Northern Virginia Design Awards Gala last Saturday night at the Founder's Hall building on the George Mason University campus in Arlington, Virginia. Emceed by one of our Principals, Mr. Scott Matties, AIA, LEED-AP, the evening's event was filled with tastings of local wines paired with food from Lyon Hall. At the end of the night, CQA received its sixth AIA Award for Mother & Child. The Merit Award honors excellence in Historic Architecture. For more information on Mother & Child, please visit Cunningham | Quill Architects.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: The Alta (Week 12)

The Alta facing towards Thomas Circle in Washington, DC

The Alta is located in downtown Washington, DC on 14th Street in the exciting neighborhood of Thomas Circle. The 13-story, concrete frame high-rise building has ground floor retail, 126 residential units on 12 floors, and four levels of below-grade parking.

Living Room

This residential tower is distinguished by its modern finishes. Landscaped terraces on the rooftop and second floor serve double-duty as “green roofs” and community amenities for residents, while expansive windows, exposed ductwork and tile floors create a spacious and clean environment within the heart of Washington, DC.

Second Floor Community Room and Green Roof Terrace

The Alta was the first LEED Certified multi-family condominium building in the District of Columbia. It has since been recognized with multiple American Institute of Architect awards. The Alta has been published in Urban Spaces and Architecture DC.

CQA Earns Spot in the Architect 50

The May issue of Architect Magazine has been released with the results of the Architect Top 50. Cunningham | Quill Architects is proud to announce that we are No. 43 this year, rising almost 30 places since last year when we appeared in the "Fast Rising Firms" list.

Architect Magazine determined the list by a weighted system focusing on three factors: design quality, sustainable ethos, and profitability. For more information on the methodology behind the rankings, visit Architect 50.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard (Week 11)

View of the Winemaking Facility and Restored Barn and Silo from the Northwest Elevation.

Located on the Agricultural Reserves in Montgomery County, Maryland, Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard  returns a Historic Bank Barn and Silo to agricultural use by producing superb, handcrafted wines within a new, state-of-the-art Winemaking Facility.

Metal and Glass Facade allows an element of Transparency into the Winemaking Process.

The new metal and glass facility is partially banked into the earth and faces onto a new forecourt, emitting a soft glow at night from within the glazed fermentation room as a beacon for the Vineyard, while the renovated barn includes public and private tasting areas as well as winery offices. The winery has been featured in the New York Times, and has received five American Institute of Architects Awards.

Mother & Child wins AIA DC Washingtonian Award

Cunningham | Quill Architects received an AIA DC Washingtonian Award for Mother & Child Wednesday night at the Mexican Cultural Institute during the annual Washington Chapter Garden Party.  The award honors Distinctive Residential Design Excellence through the Washington DC Metropolitan Region. Only six firms were recognized with this honor in 2011.

Sarah Shipp, AIA and Ralph Cunningham, FAIA accept the 2011 AIA DC Washingtonian Award
from Tom Luebke, FAIA and Yolanda Cole, AIA for Mother & Child.

This is the fifth American Institute of Architects award Mother & Child has received. For more information on Mother & Child, please visit Cunningham | Quill Architects.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Herndon Senior Center (Week 10)

View of Motor Court and Multipurpose Room.

This community center for senior citizens serves as an important resource for the Town of Herndon, Virginia and surrounding Fairfax County. The Herndon Senior Center is the link between an existing senior housing community and the Herndon downtown Fortnightly Neighborhood (master plan by Cunningham | Quill Architects and Oculus Landscape Architecture).

View to Second Floor Rooms and Activity Spaces.

Designed for the Fairfax County Redevelopment & Housing Authority, the 23,500 SF Center includes a commercial kitchen and dining facility, a library with computer workstations, a gym, arts & crafts activity space, billiards and other game rooms. To promote community interaction within the Town of Herndon, the large multipurpose room is ideal for civic functions.

Front Facade.

In 2006, the Herndon Senior Center was recognized with the Virginia Recreation and Park Society Award for Best New Recreation Facility in the state. It was also awarded two American Institute of Architects Awards, and a Fairfax County Award for Excellence in Design. The community center was also featured in Inform Magazine in 2007, highlighting the creation of an "urban and social junction" with the community.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Huntfield Mixed-Use Master Plan (Week 9)

In the early 2000s, Cunningham | Quill Architects led a master planning effort for the design of 996 acres in Charles Town, West Virginia.

Huntfield New Neighborhood Illustrative Plan

Within the county’s urban growth boundary and adjacent to several important George Washington family homes, the Huntfield Master Plan draws heavily from local character and history for the design of this plan. Proposed as a residential and mixed-use master plan, the site would be established as transit-oriented development, connecting Huntfield with downtown Washington, DC via commuter railway.

Aerial Rendering of Huntfield Master Plan showing Commuter Rail Station

The plan reflects principles of smart growth: compact design; directing development toward existing communities; a mix of land uses; pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods with parks, civic buildings and retail. In addition, a proposed open space system connects to downtown Charles Town to its future historic trail system.

First Neighborhood of Huntfield, Charles Town already Completed

Following months of interactive public meetings, Jefferson County voted to support the new plan and eight months later, Huntfield was annexed into the City of Charles Town. Portions of the project have already been completed, with other parcels still under construction.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: The Mather Building (Week 8)

Setting a precedent as the first conversion of a downtown office building into multi-family residential housing, The Mather Building Studios is a unique landmark in the District of Columbia. Originally built as an office building in 1917, it was later converted to academic use in 1967 by the University of the District of Columbia, and then abandoned by 1989. In 2001, The Mather Building began its revival with the help of Cunningham | Quill Architects.

Full View of Building from G Street NW showing Rooftop Penthouse.

Detailed historic research helped restore the gothic revival terra cotta facade to its original condition. The building conversion into a mixed-income, multi-family residential space provides affordable housing for artists as well as market-rate condominiums.

Side by side view of Terra Cotta Brick Mapping and Restored Building.

The building also contains the Gallery at Flashpoint and the Coors Dance Studio on the ground level as well as a new rooftop penthouse that provides spectacular views of the National Mall.

The Gallery at Flashpoint contains a contemporary art gallery, a 75-seat theatre, a dance studio, and office space.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Quarry House (Week 7)

When a house looks just as beautiful nearly ten years after completed, you know two things. One, the house has a great home owner. And two, there must be a great architect behind the design. The Quarry House is a great example of this.

Driveway through the House on Steeply Sloped Site.

Located on a steeply sloping wooded lot, this house embodies a program that is as unique as its site. The house is tailored to both the work life and social life of the owner, a professional photographer, and has three major components: a bedroom wing, a photography studio with an office, and a spacious living area for entertaining. The composition of the house was driven not only by programmatic requirements, but also by specific site features. Because of both the topography and the wide setbacks on two sides, the lot defied traditional suburban development. The design approach was unconventional and required thoughtful placement of the three main volumes.

Photography Studio

The bedroom wing aligns with an old quarry road to the south, while the photography studio is at an angle parallel to the north property line and is partially nestled in the earth. The glass living room suspended between the two solid pieces commands a view of the street, the woods, and the entire surrounding neighborhood.

Living Room

The Quarry House has won four American Institute of Architect Awards, and has also been published numerous times. Most recently, it was published in Washington Life magazine. For the article and recent photos, see Picture Perfect.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Glass Bridge (Week 6)

Located on a rolling two-acre site, this rambler had been remodeled and enlarged five times in its forty-year life. The owners wished to resolve awkward floor plan, while adding two new bedrooms for their children, a new Master Suite, an office, a recreation room, and an updated kitchen. An existing Music Room and award-winning cabana were to be retained.

Glass Bridge at Dusk with Exterior Courtyard.

To bridge these new elements with the original house, we extruded the original roof form over the new volumes. The Music Room was extended to create the new office and receive the roof. A new interior gallery is the core of the plan and provides ample display space for the owners’ extensive art collection. The new bedrooms are arranged around the gallery and an exterior courtyard that allows light and air into the interior. A glass block enclosed spiral stair bridges the volumes and connects the main floor with the basement.

Gallery Space that connects Bedrooms.

In 2002, the Glass Bridge received a Renaissance Award from Remodeling Magazine; and in 2003, it received a Renovation Award from Residential Architect.

15 Projects in 15 Weeks: Art Loft (Week 2)

Today we feature Art Loft, located in McLean, Va. This house was is a post and beam “Deck House” built in the early 1970s. The new owner loved the location of the house, but found the interior to be dark and dated with inadequate display space for her extensive art collection. Cunningham | Quill transformed the interior, remodeling its finishes and modernizing the kitchen and bathrooms.

Art Loft featured on Remodeling Magazine cover in 1997

A simple palette of white oak floors, white painted drywall and cabinets, sandblasted glass, bluestone, and new lighting complete the renovation. The new modern interpretation and finishes provides a classic, yet contemporary backdrop that highlights the client's art.

"The Gallery" of Art Loft

For a new firm, the recognition this project received meant a great deal. Art Loft not only won AIA DC's Washingtonian Residential Design Award for Distinctive Residential Architecture, but it was also featured in The Washington Post Home Section and on the cover of Remodeling Magazine after winning their award for Best Project of the Year.