shalom baranes associates, washington, d.c.
Located in a historic Washington, D.C., neighborhood where automobile showrooms were standard streetscape fixtures, Langston Lofts’ scale, rhythm, and materiality put a contemporary spin on the area’s industrial past. Our judges gave the project high marks for its “gorgeous detailing” and “highly articulated façade.”
The sleek finished project belies the complex engineering challenge the architects had to overcome. The building site is atop two subway tunnels, posing an enormous structural problem, says principal in charge Robert M. Sponseller, AIA. The design team resolved the issue by building a light-gauge-steel structure on top of a deep-foundation concrete plinth, parking garage, and first-floor retail space.
Large glass openings and balconies of perforated industrial mesh maximize light penetration into the 45-foot-deep units. Inside the lofts, bedrooms are raised, removing impediments to light and creating views over the kitchen.
principals in charge: Shalom Baranes, FAIA, and Robert M. Sponseller, AIA, Shalom Baranes Associates
project architect: Ellen Delaney, Shalom Baranes Associates
project manager: Larry DiPietra, Shalom Baranes Associates
project designers: Emily Emrick, Christopher Hoyt, and Adria Oswald, Shalom Baranes Associates
developer: Scott Pannick, Metropolis Development Co., Washington, D.C.
general contractor: The Dietze Construction Group, Chantilly, Va.
landscape architect: Lewis Scully Gionet, Vienna, Va.
interior designer: Christopher Hoyt, Shalom Baranes Associates
project size: 631 square feet to 1,034 square feet per unit
site size: 0.5 acre
construction cost: $200 per square foot
sales price: $220,850 to $361,900 per unit
units in project: 80
photography: Maxwell MacKenzie
