HALF STREET FAIRGROUNDS

The Navy Yard is one of the areas of DC where you can see a very dramatic physical change over the past decade, with new office buildings and condos springing up on land where warehouses used to stand. Probably the most well known of these new developments is the Nationals Park. Opening in 2008, it was meant, in part, to help usher in more mixed-use development. Advertisements for planned residences pictured throngs of people enjoying shopping and entertainment. However, the opening of the baseball stadium coincided with the unfortunate economic downturn, and many of the new building proposals were postponed or cancelled, leaving vacant land in a few cases.

This national economic downturn helped give rise to a movement dubbed “Lighter, Quicker, Cheaper”. The Project for Public Spaces described this movement as an approach “based on taking incremental steps, using low-cost experiments, and tapping into local talents (e.g. citizens, entrepreneurs, developers, and city staff). These smaller-scale projects are being implemented in a variety of environments, including on streets, squares, waterfronts, and even parking lots.” A parallel development known as Pop-up retail also became more frequent during this downturn, and it emphasized the use of temporary space for interim stores, galleries, or social events.

 

Both trends came together recently in the Navy Yard neighborhood when the firm developing the site directly across from one of the Navy Yard Metro entrances (and a block away from the Ballpark) decided to create a space called Half Street Fairgrounds. The idea was to enclose the lot and have an area inside that offered food, drink, concerts, games, retail, and spaces to sit in the shade, stand and socialize, or hold public events until construction began on their mixed-use project.

 

How has this space worked out? After visiting the site last weekend, I was struck by the relatively small crowds inside. Maybe more people came after the Nationals game in progress was over, but it was not quite the hub I was expecting it to be. Having also visited the site while the food truck festival Truckeroo was in full force (before the current plans were completed), it was definitely a marked change from the crowds seen before.

 

From a design standpoint, the orange, blue, and white metal salvaged shipping containers that form the walls are striking and give a nod to the area's industrial history. The containers also have clear windows on one end, which are meant to engage the streetscape with retail functionality. Unfortunately, the funtion of the windows as designed did not last more than a week before the company that managed the retail portion pulled out of the project, citing poor sales. The executive director, Michael Berman, thought the vending and retail aspects could not work without a complete redesign, although he thought “the space is well designed to serve alcohol products and that the stage, sound, and food trucks compliment that use”. However, the Fairgrounds developer Bo Blair disagreed and thought that a different set of vendors would be successful.

 

I am not sure who ultimately will be correct about the viability of retail at the Fairgrounds, but they both are correct about the success of the entertainment portion since the site looks like one big beer garden, with a few platforms on the edges and bean toss games to one side. Given the relative sparseness of the crowd at the time I was there, this could turn out to be a problem, since the space was designed for large crowds and does not appear to be very interesting without them.

Definitely visit and make your own critique. The Fairgrounds are open daily from 11:30 a.m.

SONG 1: HIRSHHORN

If you have not had a chance yet, there is still time to see the movie “Song 1” showing literally on the outside wall of the Hirshhorn Museum. This is an art film that shows various people singing different covers of “I Only Have Eyes For You” against the backdrop of a variety of urban settings. The movie is projected, from sunset to midnight, all around the circular building in an approximately 35 minute repeating loop.

The Hirshhorn's cylindrical, almost blank exterior makes a great 360 degree movie screen. In fact, film maker Doug Aitken refers to his project as “liquid architecture”, in that it envelops the entire building and is best seen by walking around it. I found the effect hypnotic, with the larger than life images accompanying the somewhat haunting song.

The project has been extended for another week, until May 20^th. I recommend you go!

ADOLF LOOS

We all have influences in our lives and it is instructive to know who or what drives us to be creative. I thought it would be interesting to start a series on architects, designers, thinkers and philosophers that have influenced my work and creativity. I think I'll start with Adolf Loos, a pioneer of modern architecture whose professional work (at the end of the 19th and  first decades of the 20th century) spans a time of great political, technological, and artistic change.

Perhaps more than anything else, Loos was known as an advocate against using excessive ornamentation. His minimalist building facades, flat roofs, and terraces were a big departure from the Art Nouveau style that was fashionable at the time. To give an example of how radical this approach was considered, construction on an office building (House on Michaelerplatz) he designed in Vienna was stopped by officials temporarily because the upper floors were considered to be too plain. In fact, he was forced to add flower boxes to the windows in order to keep on building. To be sure, he must have thought that this addition was an unnecessary decoration that made little economic sense. I do think it interesting, however, that Loos was not against all ornamentation and incorporated more traditional craftsmanship in his interior designs.

A personal favorite Loos project is the Steiner House which he constructed in Vienna in 1910. The private residence has a modern exterior (though some might argue pre-post-modern with architectural forms reminiscent of work by Michael Graves) but inside,  the rooms inside represent a more classic living arrangement. That kind of balance has always appealed to me and I strive to bring this approach to my own work. My aim is to provide a clear design that is economical for my clients while still producing a pleasing and well designed place. Like Loos' belief, my job is not to force someone to live a certain way but to help my clients figure out the best way to adapt their spaces to how they enjoy living.

HOLLIN HILLS HOUSE TOUR

Fans of modern architecture in the DC area should take note of the upcoming Hollin Hills House and Garden tour. The event takes place on Saturday, April 28^th, including a lecture beforehand. In addition, Hollin Hills will be featured as part of a panel discussion at the Corcoran College of Art + Design the day before.

What is so special about this neighborhood to garner all this attention? Aside from the beautiful contemporary houses and the lush, green surroundings, it was one of the first Mid-Century housing developments in the area. Designed by Charles M. Goodman and developed by Robert Davenport, the houses were first constructed in 1949 and continued to be built until 1970.

The houses are based on modular design, but each one “varies in size, plan, elevation, and roof top”. (Old Houses Online Article) In particular, the homes are known for their “walls” of glass, which helped make Charles Goodman an influential figure in the budding field of modern house design. His idea was to make a more continuous transition between inside and the wooded, hilly terrain outside. However, the houses themselves are positioned in such a way that they do not look into a neighbors yard. Despite the light and openness of the design, privacy is still preserved.

The neighborhood is located south of Alexandria. Old Town Alexandria is known of course for the historic preservation of its 18^th century heritage. Sam Growe of Dwell Magazine notes the irony of the classic modernism of Hollin Hills being not far from “the colonial bastion that provides such inspiration for Northern Virginia's epidemic of multimillion-dollar neo-colonial McMansions”. [Link to Article] Thus, Hollin Hills is truly a rarity in the region and a must-see for anyone interested in Mid-Century neighborhoods.

Most of the 463 houses in the neighborhood have had at least some alteration, although the initial designs are very much in evidence. According to James C. Massey and Shirley Maxwell of Old Houses Online, “Goodman's designs recognized the inclination to grow, however, and through the years, residents have been uncommonly respectful of their home's original architecture and their neighbor's privacy...additions tend to be well designed...” [Link to Article] Well designed houses give the owners more of an inclination to become caretakers, which becomes important when making decisions to renovate or add to their home. It is evident that there is much caretaking going on in this neighborhood.

See you on the House Tour!

GeekEasy Co Working Space DC Update

The folks at GeekEasy had a great opening weekend with the event Lean Mean Startup Machine DC and through hard work and dedication down to the wire, finished off the space to great aplomb.  The space looks amazing and there are kudos all around.  It is always nice to hear your client tell you that what was executed was exactly what they envisioned.

Humbled and honored to be a part of this amazing space, here are some images of the completed project. Check out more on flickr and at strasser:studio