Improvements to Broad and Washington Project
NEWS | November 5, 2020
Falls Church, VA
Slowly but surely, the controversial Broad and Washington project in Falls Church is moving forward with only minor concerns from reviewing officials.
The Falls Church Planning Commission met with the Architectural Advisory Board last night for a joint work session to discuss the upcoming project — but while public concerns remain about parking and scale, the groups offered more praise than criticism of the project.
Staff noted in a presentation that the project had gone through significant changes to offer better open space and better use of street access. The project is also perhaps most notable as the planned home of a new Whole Foods and a permanent home for local performing and visual arts group Creative Cauldron.
Members of the Planning Commission and Architectural Advisory Board were mostly satisfied with changes that scaled the building better with the surrounding area. Chair of the Architectural Advisory Board noted that one side of the building facing Broad Street still had the unfortunate “slab” look of the earlier designs.
James Way, chair of the Architectural Advisory Board, also said the roadside public square planned in the project could have been better but he said he was also happy with what the city would get.
“Like the square,” Way said. “I always like to see more space but I understand financial constraints. I worry about spaces being too taken up with hard set features. [There] might be something to make it more flexible and adaptable to actual uses.”
The project is scheduled to come back to the city government on Wednesday, Nov. 18 for a vote.
DESIGN BRIEF | November 2020
Over 1,000 Units Under Construction – Part Two
In Part One of last month’s Design Brief, we revisited the recent construction status and development of two Virginia projects: Faraday Park and Halley Rise – Block F. In this Part Two, Maryland projects Towson Crossroads and Riverdale Park Station conclude our review of MV+A’s summer of 1,000 units under construction.
Towson Crossroads
Status: With concrete work recently completed, the wood framed portion of the building is planned to be topped out on the eighth floor by the end of October. Windows have been installed on 50% of the student housing portion of the project, while the exterior envelope finishes (brick and storefront) are set to begin following the exterior framing and sheathing.
Development: Crossroads, located in the bustling college town and county seat of Towson, MD, anchors a 1.2 million sq. ft. mixed-use development called Towson Row. As the Architect of Record, MV+A has planned and designed the mixed-use building featuring a Whole Foods Market, additional in-line retail facing an urban plaza, and five stories of residential. Expected completion date for the project is August 2021.
Riverdale Park Station – Building 5
Status: Riverdale Park Station’s Building 5 is developing into a significant presence in the heart of the site. The building’s detailed masonry facade is nearing completion as the secondary facade elements are now being installed. Meanwhile, apartments interiors are being finished and the public amenity spaces are being framed in preparation for finishes. The concrete and stick-framed apartment building with a central courtyard also includes wings that wrap the large parking garage completed in an earlier phase of construction.
Development: MV+A took on many roles for this project located in Riverdale, MD. The role as Master Planner and Architect included designing the plan for the thirty-eight-acre site, as well as all commercial and multi-family buildings and the interior for the Whole Foods Market. MV+A was also the Design Architect for the 119 townhouses developed by Stanley Martin Homes. Construction of Building 5 has a projected completion in spring 2021.
Check out the list of awards given to Riverdale Park Station here.
Over 1,000 Units Under Construction – Part Two
Meet the newest member of the MV+A Team, Harini Chandrasekhar!
Originally an intern with MV+A last summer, Harini officially started her role as an Architectural Designer at the firm this fall. She recently graduated from Virginia Tech’s Master of Architecture program, with her thesis “A Journey Through a Story – Remembering to be a Child Again with The Little Prince” exploring the spatial interpretation of the core themes of the children’s book The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Congratulations on your graduation and thesis, Harini! We are glad to have you back.