Collection 14 is a mixed-use development in a vibrant and highly coveted downtown neighborhood central to Washington, DC. The project unites several historic buildings and delivers a design that celebrates the area’s history and culture at the busy intersection of 14th and U streets.
The project is designed to maximize social interaction and enhance both economic and cultural activity. It also elevates the high quality of life and sustainability in the growing U Street Historic District with a program that provides residential choice in a variety of unit types, new retail opportunities along 14th Street, and office space for small businesses to rent. Also included is the re-use of existing facades and an entire historic garage building repurposed as an event space and paired with an arts program that improves the existing arts activities in the district. The preservation and restoration of these structures reduce material waste and embodied carbon, as well as saving the character of the neighborhood.
At first, the project was two separate sites that the client intended to transform into an apartment building and separate condominiums. The design team found ways to maximize the value of the existing historic structures through a comprehensive site analysis and incorporated those designs into a larger, mixed-use project by purchasing the adjacent properties. One of these properties included a no longer functional, 1960s-era gas station and car-repair garage
The exterior design is based upon the industrial character of 14th Street, where large, historical warehouse-like buildings were home to industrial uses such as car showrooms and automobile repair businesses in the early-to-mid 20th century. The façade along 14th Street is vertical in orientation, with tall bays or window groupings breaking it into increments related to the historic scale of development along the corridor. Historic storefronts of contributing structures were rebuilt and restored to their original condition and integrated into the overall composition. Each building front supports active uses, and retail bays are extended into the public space with protected entrances to storefronts that create variety of scale and experience at the sidewalk.
The design team also discovered historic designs of storefront designs from the early 1900s for three of the existing buildings retained on the site. These drawings provided inspiration for the new storefront designs, helping to restore the historical condition and introduce more variety and human scale to the sidewalk and retail experience. Finally, both sides of the site are united by a long horizontal volume set back.
The elevation along W Street is designed to complement the scale of the surrounding residential buildings. A corridor between W and V streets provides access to retail and leasable office space with a new event space in and above the historic garage.
A simple combination of masonry, glass, and metal panels creates the language and form of the building. The design meaningfully complements the mainly brick language of the 14th Street corridor and integrates durable traditional construction methods with modern, high-performance strategies to reduce energy usage. By blending adaptive reuse with high-performance building strategies, the project improves energy efficiency, access to daylight, and occupant well-being while respecting the architectural character of the city. The interior material palette, carefully selected with material health and air quality in mind, gets a boost with designed areas for public murals and art.
These strategies helped earn the project a LEED Gold Certification shortly after its opening in April, 2022.
Parking for cars and bicycles is situated underground at a reduced ratio for cars. This encourages residents to support sustainable transportation choices such as living “car-free,” taking advantage of the nearby transit, and shopping at neighborhood amenities for daily needs—all of which are within easy walking distance of the site. Electric vehicle charging stations are also available as a sustainable choice.
Collection 14 serves as an example of what is possible through a merged design approach marrying new residential development with adaptive re-use, cultural programming, and new retail opportunities.
