1. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District

2. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Madison
School, 1900
Madison Shelter Landscape and Exterior
Restoration 35%

3. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
landscape
Design objectives:
Create a pleasant exterior space for shelter
users
•
•
•
•
Secure feeling
Some connection to street for security
Accessible to mobility-impaired
Durable and low maintenance
Maintain existing levels of site security
(fencing) with more residential-appropriate
fencing
Be a good neighbor: good design makes
good neighbors

4. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
landscape
Sustainability objectives
Keep run-off on site (LID)
Use native plants:
for hardiness and lower maintenance once established. Native
plants function much like a natural system, with diverse plants
providing food and shelter for a host of birds, butterflies and
beneficial insects. Landscaping with native plants is
recommended for Chesapeake Bay health
Minimize light pollution

5. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Historic Preservation Objectives
Landscape:
•
Use forms and materials consistent with the building and its time;
appropriate for the Capitol Hill Historic District
Building: Improve historic integrity of the building:
• Remove paint from pressed brick if possible
• Repoint entire building, repairing cracks etc. at the same time
• Repaint common brick to “brick color”
• Paint trim cream or buff color per its original color.
• Restore windows
• Provide sensitive security:
• “L’Enfant plan” basement security
• Screen security at first and second floors
• Remove building-mounted security lighting
• Improve entrances: make more appropriate to historic building
• Improve canopy/ies

6. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Other program needs (health/safety/welfare)
• Replace retaining wall
• Improve structural stability of stair areaways
• Upgrade guard and hand railings at stair area ways.

7. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
landscape image
Urban forest in Washington, DC
Context:
Late 19th c. school building
in Capitol Hill Historic District

8. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Washington, DC
• The L’Enfant plan: a grid with
superimposed Baroque diagonals
• The grid/diagonal pattern pulled apart,
the natural showing through the “made”
• The grid/diagonal pattern interrupted to
its south at a major element: the Rivers

9. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District

10. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Design responses
Secure feeling
Some connection to street for security
Maintain existing levels of site security
(fencing) with more residentialappropriate fencing
Use of green screen fencing provides a degree of
transparency from the street while also providing
security, incorporating additional vegetation, and
being more residential.

11. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Design responses
Accessible to mobility-impaired
Accessible entrance to yard area at west end. 1:20 sloping sidewalk avoids railings etc.
required for a 1:12 ramp. All surfaces in yard will have maximum cross slope of 1:50.

12. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Sustainability response
Minimize impervious areas/ maximize site permeability
LID: infiltrate, evapotranspire and
reuse stormwater
Decentralized small areas to treat runoff close
to where created
Goal: retain first ½” of rain fall on site
Extensive use of 30” spaced pavers for “patio” spaces

13. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Impervious Areas

14. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Pervious Paving

15. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Sustainability
response
Keep as much run-off on site as
possible
Minimize impervious areas/ maximize
site permeability
Maximize use of trees for storm water
management
(both on site and street trees)

16. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Red circles indicate new proposed trees
Landscape:
Sustainability
response
Keep as much run-off
on site as possible
Minimize impervious
areas/ maximize site
permeability
Maximize use of trees
(both site and street)
for storm water
management

17. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
landscape image: Urban forest
Two large shade trees
(one Maple and one American Elm)
with densely planted understory trees (Redbuds)
these Kousas are 8’ apart

18. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Trees

19. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Sustainability response
Keep as much run-off on site as possible
Divert as much roof water from combined sewer as
possible, using water feature
Proposed
landscape
drawing
“Decorative trench drains” from two of the roof downspouts

20. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Planted Areas

21. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Sustainability response
Use native plants “New American Landscape”
Plant list
Eastern Redbud Single Trunk
Willow Oak
American Elm
Butterfly Milkweed
Tangerine Beauty Cross Vine
Blue Mist Fothergilla
Oakleaf Hydrangea
Creeping St. Johns Wort
St. Johns Wort
Virginia Sweetspire
Muhly
Summersweet
Grow-Low Fragrant Sumac

22. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape: Sustainability responses:
Minimize light pollution
• Use a number of smallish
(about 8’ tall) pole lights
on site
• Use fixtures that direct
light down instead of up
or flooding
providing a more pleasant quality of
light than the typical security light
• Multiple fixtures provide
fixture backup
If one goes out you don’t lose all the
light security

23. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Lighting

24. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Landscape
Historic Preservation Responses:
Use forms and materials consistent with the building and its time;
appropriate for the Capitol Hill Historic District or if an element is not
original to the building, it should be of its time
Materials:
• Concrete for walking surfaces is one of the
traditional paving materials used on Capitol
Hill.
• Sidewalk strategies to enhance permeability
as already developed and implemented on
Capitol Hill
• Bluestone is a traditional public space
material

25. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Other program needs
(health/safety/welfare)
• Replace retaining wall
• Improve structural stability of
stair areaways
• Upgrade guard and hand
railings at stair area ways.

26. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Historic Preservation objectives
Improve historic integrity of the building:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Remove paint from pressed brick if possible
Repaint common brick to “brick color”
Paint trim cream or buff color per its original color.
Restore windows
Provide security sensitively
Remove building-mounted security lighting

27. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Historic
Preservation objectives
Improve entrances: make
more appropriate to historic
building

28. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Historic
Preservation objectives
Improve historic integrity
of building:
• Improve canopy/ies

29. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Historic
Preservation objectives
Possibly restore roof cresting: (budget
dependent)

30. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Provide security sensitively
• Add security screens to first and second floor windows that look like
insect screens (on Madison only the bottom half of window)
• Add window grilles at basement level only to regularize the facade
McKinley HS

31. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Existing West Facade

32. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Existing North Facade

33. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Proposed West Facade
Trees are shown at 5-10 years after planting

34. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Building: Proposed North Facade
Trees are shown at 5-10 years after planting

35. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Next Steps
• Historic Preservation Office reviews throughout design
process
• Submission of Agency and Community Comments to
architrave
• 65 % Design Development Community Review Meeting –
January 2014
• 100% Construction Documents Community Review
Meeting – March 2014
• DCRA and Other Regulatory Agency Permitting Process
for Construction Documents

36. Elevating the Quality of Life in the District
Design Team
• architrave p.c. architects -Architect
• AMT – Landscape Design and Civil Engineers
• Robert Silman & Associates – Structural
Engineers
• JVP Engineers – Electrical Engineering
• Froehling and Robertson – Geotechnical and
Hazardous Materials