House of Lebanon is Approved and Designated as a DC Landmark

House of Lebanon (Former Margaret Murray Washington School) Designated as Landmark

The Margaret Murray Washington School (27 O Street NW), built in 1912, will be designated as landmark in the DC Inventory of Historic Sites. Cunningham | Quill Architects plans to restore the building and modify the site to create affordable housing for the District of Columbia. Recently approved by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board on September 29th, the "House of Lebanon" Project will also have multi-purpose recreation and meeting spaces. To learn more about our approvals process, visit our Outreach Approach, or see DC HistoricPreservation for more information on the historic designation and approval of this project.

DC Solar Home Tour

The 2011 Tour of Solar Homes and Buildings included Cunningham | Quill Architects’ Right Size House on Sunday, October 2nd. Each year the tour features over 50 homes, all examples of sustainable living, highlighting innovative solar design and technology concepts.

Right Size House  |  Falls Church, VA

The Right Size House is a new, 2,400 sf modern passive-solar home designed to meet LEED for Homes Platinum criteria. It has a well-insulated envelope built with Structural Insulated Panels (SIPs). The house features highly efficient appliances, plumbing fixtures, lighting, and hybrid HVAC equipment. In addition, rainwater is collected in an underground cistern, helping to flush toilets and irrigate the zero-grass landscaping. The home has also been featured on the USA TodayGreen House Blog.

The Maples Gains Approval

Restoration and New Construction Approved for The Maples

Cunningham | Quill's restoration and adaptive reuse project in Southeast DC, which dates back to 1796 and was formerly known as Friendship House, is currently being featured on the District of Columbia's Historic Preservation Office website. The DC Historic Preservation Review Board approved final conceptual plans for the restoration and new construction at The Maples (619 D Street SE) on April 28, 2011. To learn more about our approvals process, visit our Outreach Approach, or see DC Historic Preservation for  information on their approval of The Maples.

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.

Roanoke City Market

With the Roanoke City Market set to open Labor Day weekend, a reporter for the Roanoke Times was given a sneak peak at the nearly completed building. Cunningham | Quill Architects has worked on the historic preservation and adaptive reuse of the historic market building for the last two years.

One of the dramatic transformations has been the Assembly Hall. Once structurally unsound and poorly lit, the Assembly Hall is now ready to welcome the public again.

Assembly Hall Before

Assembly Hall After. Image Appears on the The Storefront.

To read the full post on the Roanoke Times website, see Inside the Roanoke Market Building.

Sustainable Preservation: Something Old, Something New, Something Green

In March, at the National Building Museum’s “For the Greener Good Series,” Maria Casarella, AIA of Cunningham | Quill Architects took part in a panel discussion with Brendan Owens, VP of LEED Technical Development at USGBC, and Eleni Reed, Chief Greening Officer at GSA to discuss how Historic Preservation Concerns can be Integrated in Sustainability Rating Systems and Regulations.

In continuing the professional movement towards Sustainable Preservation, Maria Casarella, an appointed member of the Washington, DC Historic Preservation Review Board, gave a presentation on this topic at Design DC along with Steve Callcott, the Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer of the DC Historic Preservation Office.

It was an opportunity to educate fellow practitioners about the best methods of evaluation for preservation and green strategies. Several Cunningham | Quill projects were included in the presentation as case studies for sustainable preservation in Washington, DC.

Our design approach thoughtfully integrates historic preservation with the most effective sustainable technologies available. We hope to share with you case studies of our completed and in-design projects that speak to Sustainable Preservation and good building practices in the future.

For the full presentation at Design DC see below for Something Old, Something New, Something Green, or visit the DC Historic Preservation Office for more information on Sustainability in the District of Columbia.

10th and G Street Offices Construction Watch Tour

On Saturday, the National Building Museum hosted a Construction Watch Tour of our mixed-use 10th & G Street project located in downtown Washington, DC. Led by Michael Day, AIA, LEED-AP, Associate, and Chris Morrison, AIA, LEED-AP, Principal, of Cunningham | Quill Architects, nearly 40 participants got a firsthand look at the project, which contains retail, Class A office space, and the First Congregational United Church of Christ (FCUCC).

At the tour, an FCUCC representative, Barbara Brown Zikmund said "We wanted to be a green building. We were committed to that from the beginning." The building is on track for LEED Gold Certification.

See the tour in pictures.

10th and G Street Offices Construction Watch Tour with the National Building Museum

10th & G Street Offices Under Construction

On Saturday, June 25, 2011, the National Building Museum will be hosting a Construction Watch Tour of Cunningham | Quill Architects’ 10^th & G Street Offices and First Congregational United Church of Christ. The 188,000 sf building, located in downtown Washington, DC, is a dynamic mixed-use project consisting of office, retail, and church worship space. The project, immediately adjacent to the Martin Luther King Jr. Library and across from CQA’s Mather Building, is expected to achieve LEED Gold Certification.

National Building Museum Construction Watch Tours typically emphasize special construction methods and innovative technologies used in the building process, whether with Historic Preservation projects or cutting-edge sustainable projects. According to the NBM website, "Because the tours are led by developers, architects, and contractors, they offer direct access to key figures who are shaping our built environment.”

Cunningham | Quill Architects Associate, Michael Day, AIA, LEED-AP, will lead the tour on Saturday, June 25. For more information on the National Building Museum’s Construction Watch Tour of 10th & G Street Offices, or to purchase tickets, please visit the National Building Museum. For more information on 10th & G Street Offices, please visit Cunningham | Quill Architects.

Cohen Career Center Takes the Gold

The Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Center at the College of William & Mary is officially LEED Gold Certified. Certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED program recognizes the Cohen Career Center as a sustainable addition to the William & Mary campus in Williamsburg, Virginia.

View of the "Living Room" and Student Plaza and Amphitheatre at Night.

To earn LEED Gold certification, The Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center had to meet specific performance measurements in environmental and human health, sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, material selection and indoor quality.

For more information on the U.S. Green Building Council or the LEED Certification Program, visit the USGBC website. To learn more about the Sherman and Gloria H. Cohen Career Center at the College of William & Mary, 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.

Falls Church Gateway Approved

After working with Akridge and the City of Falls Church on a mixed-use development for the the City’s North Washington Street Corridor revitalization effort, the City Council has unanimously approved the project. Falls Church Gateway is an 83,000 sf office/retail and 200-unit residential building located near the East Falls Church Metro Station.

Rendering of Falls Church Gateway  |  Falls Church, VA

The transit-oriented design is consistent with the City’s planning goals and creates a sense of place with a positive pedestrian experience and a sensitive transition from commercial to residential areas. Falls Church Gateway was recognized in 2006 by the Smart Growth Alliance for its sensitivity to adjacent neighborhoods, incorporation of green spaces, and long term goals of a LEED-Neighborhood Development.

To learn more about the project or view more images, please visit Cunningham | Quill Architects. For more information on Akridge regarding the project, please see their official press release.

Sustainable Achievement

In 2010, Cunningham | Quill Architects set out to “Sustainably Move Forward.” Looking back at the year, we accomplished exactly that.



CharityWorks GreenHouse  |  McLean, VA



Our first award of the year was the National Association of Home Builders’ Project of the Year for the CharityWorks GreenHouse. In an application process that went beyond design to look at every sustainable aspect of the project, the CharityWorks GreenHouse excelled from energy modeling to LEED points (The CharityWorks GreenHouse was one of the first LEED Platinum projects in the Mid-Atlantic region). The house also received another Project of the Year honor from the National Capital Region Chapter of the USGBC (United States Green Building Council). The project was also featured in a documentary called GREENHOUSE: DREAM IT. BUILD IT. LIVE IT.



Davis Place  |  Arlington, VA



Our green design Davis Place project in Arlington, VA was also recognized, in addition to our Smart Growth Mount Rainier Mixed-Use Town Center Development Plan for the City of Mount Rainier, MD.



Mother & Child  |  Washington, DC



Even with all our achievements in green building, we continued to focus primarily on good design. A great design is the driving force for all our projects, whether a single family residence or a large institutional project. In recognition of this practice, we received a total of 6 state and local AIA Awards across the Mid-Atlantic Region.

For more information on our recent winners, see our full list of Awards.