AvalonBay Tower (Jacob Wirth's) | 45 Stuart Street | Downtown

They're really taking their sweet time getting the garage facade on Stuart St up.
 
I totally pre-judged this one months ago, and really like how its turning out. Very excited to see what this will look like when its finished and lit up at night, and especially what this "glass curtain" front is going to end up looking like.
 
Still really not digging that precast. The glass looks good, and any sort of quality of the precast would have made it much, much better.
 
resisttheist said:
Probably another couple months before that'll be going up.
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Just to confirm, we know for sure that a facade will cover the garage? I was starting to get really worried that the garage portion was going to be left as is. Granted, it's on the backside of the building, but I still think developers ought to be required to at LEAST hide above ground parking garages from sight.
 
Lisbon said:
Just to confirm, we know for sure that a facade will cover the garage? I was starting to get really worried that the garage portion was going to be left as is. Granted, it's on the backside of the building, but I still think developers ought to be required to at LEAST hide above ground parking garages from sight.
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Actually, I am not certain that the back side of the building on LaGrange Street is getting any kind of façade treatment. I think people are talking about the Stuart Street frontage that has an interesting façade to disguise the drive-in portal.

The BRA has pretty much given up on LaGrange Street -- it is parking access and adult entertainment.
 
JeffDowntown said:
Actually, I am not certain that the back side of the building on LaGrange Street is getting any kind of façade treatment. I think people are talking about the Stuart Street frontage that has an interesting façade to disguise the drive-in portal.

The BRA has pretty much given up on LaGrange Street -- it is parking access and adult entertainment.
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Yup. The only part of the garage getting a facade is the front. Everything else will be open, like the Revere Hotel garage, only more tucked into back streets.
 
JeffDowntown said:
The BRA has pretty much given up on LaGrange Street -- it is parking access and adult entertainment.
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Well, that may be so, but there is a decent sized surface parking lot at Lagrange & Tamworth Sts - and anything built there would have to front onto one of those streets. Good place for a big, gross nightclub, maybe.
 
The following excerpt is from a letter by a Federal architectural review commission to a developer about a proposed residential building in Washington DC. The architect is Stern.

They said that the fundamental issue for the project is whether this residential building should distinguish itself from the context of existing public buildings, or whether it should reinforce the established pattern of urban fabric framing Washington’s unique landscape of monuments, parks, and squares. They did not support the design as presented, characterizing its two widely disparate and horizontally layered architectural languages as too gestural and accentuating overly the unusual height of the building, which would be at least four floors taller than its neighbors. They cautioned against the simple dichotomy presented of boxy severity in counterpoint to curving exuberance; while some variation of architectural language may be appropriate for such a large building, possibly using more vertical differentiation than horizontal, they recommended more unity in the design and among its parts. In general, they recommended that the design be calmer, more integrated, and more elegant—noting that the great visibility of the site reduces the need for a conspicuously iconic building.
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Stern:

y23Q27K.gif
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
Yup. The only part of the garage getting a facade is the front. Everything else will be open, like the Revere Hotel garage, only more tucked into back streets.
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Disappointing to learn. I know LaGrange street doesn't have much going for it, but I still think these kinds of exposed parking garages are disgusting. How much would it really cost the developer to hide the garage? And why wouldn't the BRA or whomever require them to hide the garage?

Great pictures Beeline. Overall I really like the building.
 
mdd said:
Stern:

y23Q27K.gif
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Unlike Boston, Stern and the developer can't get a construction permit until the design is changed.

The closing salutation,
The Commission expressed confidence in the capacity of the architectural team to develop a design that can respond in a way that enhances this highly prominent gateway site in the nation’s capital city. As always, the staff is available to assist with the next submission.
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Among the architects reviewing Stern's design, are deans and professors at Harvard, MIT, University of Miami, and University of Virginia.
 
Beeline, that last pic is boss! This building looks great from that angle. It looks so vertical because only the strong verticals of the facade can be seen. Perhaps this was the intent of the massing and facades. It really fits into the fabric nicely.
 
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