This office block with 135,000 SF of rentable space, is situated in the Yards West development in Washington, DC. The massing consists of one 9-story tower and 8-story tower sitting atop a retail podium. The fairly small site constricted the courtyard between the two buildings. To alleviate this, the floors twist open to allow more air and light to filter into the courtyard.
The two tower design allows for narrow office bars that will provide light and a view to almost all office spaces. The side-loaded cores allow the stairs and elevator lobbies to be day-lit and more inviting.
The facades of both towers maximize glass and natural lighting. While the tower to the west wraps its twisting floors in a more regimented grid shell on the street side, the east tower expresses the twisting floors on all sides.
images property of Shalom Baranes Associates, LLC