AIA Guide to the Architecture of Washington, DC by G. Martin Moeller Jr

Author:G. Martin Moeller Jr.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Johns Hopkins University Press
Published: 2022-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

K12

1999 K Street, NW

2009—Murphy/Jahn

Among the many recent glass-box buildings in downtown Washington, this one stands out for three reasons. First, of course, is the Big Gesture: the angled, glass screen wall on the K Street side that is anchored at the sidewalk, soars above the roofline, and then extends around to the eastern end of the upper floors. Vertically cantilevered from the outermost curtain wall, this huge fin serves no functional purpose, but it lends a sense of depth to the façade while helping to solve the compositional challenge posed by the setback of the top few floors from the building next door (which makes room for a three-story outdoor terrace, barely visible behind the curtain wall at the upper right). The screen wall also draws the eyes of passersby upward, encouraging them to notice the building’s second distinguishing feature: the array of smaller glass fins set into the curtain wall, which are as subtle as the big fin is bold but add a surprising amount of visual interest, especially as light conditions change throughout the day and night. Finally, there is the luminous lobby, whose backlit panels dematerialize the space and constitute a room-size piece of minimalist art that also can be appreciated from the street.

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