BSLA / MERIT AWARD Design — Art
LANDWORKS STUDIO , INC .
First and M Apartments Washington , DC
Photo | Getty Images
The courtyard at First and M Apartments , a 14-story apartment building in Washington , DC ., relies upon the idea of absolute connectivity to unite outdoor and indoor spaces throughout the ground floor of the complex . The focus of the landscape is a dynamic and integrated social center , defined by an undulating ribbon , loosely defining various program areas .
Working closely with the interior architect , Studios Architecture , and the client , Archstone , an integrated series of indoor-outdoor spaces was devised that utilize a carefully calibrated sculptural weave as the mechanism for providing varied experiential qualities . As an organizing device , this weave takes the form of interlocking , continuous spline curves that , appearing and disappearing , deform to become seating , water features , planting beds , retaining walls , and a media screen . The resulting spaces have been precisely scaled to facilitate uses such as media screen viewing , inward facing seating for group conversation , and outward-facing seating for people watching . In contrast , when these unique spaces are viewed from a distance – such as from the upper story residential units – they visually compress to provide an iconic identity for the project .
The sinuous lines of the courtyard act as an armature that guides residents through sequential outdoor lounge areas , or ‘ living rooms ’ at different scales . Rather than sequencing these spaces in a linear manner , the circuitous organization of the armature ensures that visitors experience views and activities that are constantly changing as they move through the space . Materially , the armature takes the form of heat-formed white acrylic shrouds that glow from within to provide some ambient lighting to the courtyard . These wall structures for the red solid surface benches double as retaining walls that structure an undulating topography comprised of richly vegetated mounds punctuated by maple trees .
128 BSLA