Rowhouse Redux: Washington Architects Renew City Living

November 14, 2003 - January 18, 2004

Front view of Hickok Cole’s reimagining of the Washington, D.C. rowhouse. Hickok Warner Cole Architects	Rear exterior view of Hickok Cole’s reimagining of the Washington, D.C. rowhouse. Hickok Warner Cole Architects	Front view of Christian Zapathka Design’s reimagining of the Washington, D.C. rowhouse. © Christian Zapatka Design	A section taken from of Christian Zapathka Design’s reimagining of the Washington, D.C. rowhouse. © Christian Zapatka Design

Americans, and in particular American architects, have been dreaming of “home” for centuries. From Andrew Jackson Davis to Frank Lloyd Wright to Steven Holl, architects have actively pursued innovation in the design of houses. The house has long been a platform for experimentation, a vehicle for architectural polemics, a venue for the exploration of emerging technologies, and a reflection of the changing nature of the American family.

This exhibition continues the process of envisioning the future of our homes, and does so in a context that is sometimes overlooked by developers and homeowners these days: the urban rowhouse. Choosing between two actual sites in Washington, D.C., members of the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/DC) have created proposals for rowhouses of modest size and cost that respond to the demands of contemporary urban living. Simultaneously, these proposals consider how the new and the old might relate to one another in terms of architectural composition, scale, and materials.

After several decades in which American residential development was almost exclusively focused on single-family houses in the suburbs, many people are once again discovering the joys of rowhouse living. The projects presented in this exhibition suggest fresh ideas for reinvigorating urban neighborhoods and accommodating the domestic aspirations of the American public.

Sponsors

Rowhouse Redux is the seventh biennial exhibition sponsored by the National Building Museum and the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA/DC). The Washington Chapter would like to thank the generous support of PN Hoffman.  

Sponsors & Partners

Credits

Competition Jury
Howard Decker, FAIA, Chief Curator, National Building Museum
Lenore Lucey, FAIA, Vice President, National Council of Architectural Registration Boards
Stanley Tigerman, FAIA, Principal, Tigerman McCurry Architects

Competition Winners
Christian Zapatka Design
DesignWorks Collaborative
Hickok Warner Cole Architects
Studio27 Architecture
Suzane Reatig Architecture

Competition Participants
Christian Zapatka Design – Alan Zapatka, Delia Wendel, Philip Bentley
DesignWorks Collaborative – Julie Clayton, AIA
Division One Architects – Chris Brown
George Gordon Architects, PC – George Gordon, AIA, Gloria Tseng Fischer, Huali Fu, Clint Larkan, Isabel Ruiz
Jeremy Arnold, with Robert Lach, Jr., AIA, Lauren Clark, André Fontaine, GTM Architects
Sarah Wolbert, with Richard Conrath, AIA, David Konapelsky, AIA, Robert Lach Jr., AIA, Diane Taitt, IIDA, ASID, Lauren Clark, Lynn Faulring, Clare Marino, GTM Architects
Hickok Warner Cole Architects – Tove Anderson, Eric Blodnikar, Vivian Chang, Holly Lennihan, Jack Mevorah,    Elba Morales, Jason Ovalle, Bill Smith
Kristina Vidal, AIA, and Elise Robinson, AIA
Nancy Burford Doran, LEED™ AP
Objet Design – William Luza, Ali Abdullah, Mark Freeman
Studio27 Architecture – Todd Ray, AIA, John Burke, AIA, Lukas Thorn, Brian Bassett, Raymond Curtis
Suzane Reatig Architecture – Suzane Reatig, FAIA, Wing Wong, Elizabeth Waites
Thomas E.C. Knox and Yaprak Markeset
W. Kent Cooper, FAIA
WDG Architectural PLLC – Viet Tran, Hisashi Matsui, Freddy Mejja, Wess Brown, Nan Ly
Workstudio – Kevin Dworak

Acknowledgements
Guest Curator: Alan Aiches
Photographic Murals: Boris Feldblyum Photography
Chief Curator: Howard Decker, FAIA
Director of Exhibitions: Catherine Crane Frankel
Exhibition Design: MaryJane Valade

AIA/DC President: Marshall E. Purnell, FAIA
AIA/DC Executive Director: Mary Fitch, AICP
AIA/DC Design Issues Chair: William Kirwan, AIA