M Street
Background
This property is located in Washington D.C.’s West End neighborhood, where pleasant residential streets lead into blocks of grand hotels and boutique fitness studios. It’s a short walk to shopping, art galleries, and green spaces like Rock Creek Park. The building itself is imposing, and the public spaces are awkwardly proportioned and dominated by unfortunate red stone.
Strategy
The team fashioned a new identity for the property that featured its unusual location as a benefit. Graphic and physical elements reference the topography of adjacent Rock Creek Park, and custom furnishings and green accents bring that natural landscape into the building.
Reframing the Experience
We designed a new wind installation to bring attention to the revitalized property’s entrance. Mesh panels cut to evoke topographical contour lines will move with the breeze, and create a dynamic play of light and shade at the entry below, much like dappled sun through a tree’s canopy.
