Buzzard Point

– I love it!
– We love you!
– Bring forth the lobster!
– And the cappuccino!

That’s the sound of excitement when Scandinavian architecture makes an entrance in the United States. Tengbom has been commissioned to design 500 apartments with adjacent amenity spaces, which include a spa area, gym and a rooftop terrace with a pool in a property in the Buzzard Point area of Washington DC.

The project, which covers a total of 100,000 square meters, is scheduled to start in January 2018 and will be completed in 2020. There is a lot going on in the area – the entire district is being raised from the ground under the skilled eyes of renowned architect firms, including West 8 – whom we collaborate with in this project.

The whole story begins in Stockholm, where one of the American clients was staying briefly. One day, as he was walking in the city, he stumbled upon The Temporary Market Hall at Östermalmstorg, one of Tengbom’s most praised projects in recent years. It was love at first sight, and on the spot, he decided that he wanted to hire the company behind it for his new residential project at Buzzard Point.

Straight into the heart

The US Coast Guard previously occupied the building, but it will now transform into housing inspired by Nordic design. On-site in Washington, Johanna Munck of Rosenschöld and Stefan Rydin detailed their approach to the project. They presented the theoretical foundation and explained their material choices. The theme, The Scandinavian Way of Living, received standing ovations.

“Yes, it was totally unexpected but great fun. It is very rare to get standing ovations at meetings in Sweden”

says Stefan Rydin

The love of light and nature

The idea is to create something completely new in Washington DC’s dense residential flora. Going the other direction than the trending “industrial chic”, we proposed light wood, natural materials such as leather, terrazzo and stone – all with great attention to high-quality material compositions. Top quality and meticulous finishes are be-all and end-all when it comes to environments based on clean lines.

“Industrial chic wasn’t even an option for us. Instead, we’ve tried to grasp the essence of Scandinavian design with its simplicity and clarity. In order to create an appealing and functional environment, the performance needs to be top-notch. We make very high demands on materials and the meeting points between them. The floor we choose is a wooden floor, but only the best quality will do, and this has been our approach to every detail, “says Stefan Rydin.

The new residential building’s design focuses on access to natural light and provides a lot of space for social gatherings.Winning expertise

Our housing and interior architects won the commission in tough competition with three New York offices. For this project, Tengbom collaborates with local architects on-site, Antunovich Associates, but will have the main responsibility for the design. The team has already launched the project and expects to complete it in 2020.