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Kinzer / Abrams Residence
Silver Spring, MD
View Project Photo Gallery: Before (10) Finished Condo (14)
Rising above the trees near Sligo Park is an extraordinary building. When constructed in the 1960's Parkside Plaza was an unexpected addition to the expanding metro area; a luxury high-rise apartment building (the tallest of its time), located in splendid isolation at the "wrong end" of Montgomery County.
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The buyers started with the decision to downsize, to reduce their footprint on the earth. Their choice to own few possessions, to transition from two cars to one and to move from a single family home to a condo led them to Parkside Plaza. The building - including driveway, pool, and parking - covers 4 acres, but with 250 units the footprint is 1/10th the size per unit of the typical suburban lot of 1/6th an acre. A connection to nature was also an important factor in their choice and while this can be a problem with most apartment buildings Parkside Plaza has a close alliance with nature both in setting and design. |
The gentle arc of the building gracefully reflects the natural twists and turns of Sligo Creek, above which it sits. Sligo Creek Parks generous trails, trees and urban wildlife are an extension of the Condominiums grounds. Every apartment was designed with a generous double-sized balcony, a treasured "outdoor room" for the apartment dweller, and floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing the residents to enjoy ample light, air and scenery. The building is also within a healthy walking distance of shopping, dining and metro.
| An analysis of the space was required before any improvements planned. The bones of the unit were the best of mid-century modern architecture; however, the condo had not been updated since it had been built and there were problems to be solved. The 2nd bedroom had poorly placed doors that limited its use, there was a long dark hallway to contend with, and an extremely outdated kitchen that was surprisingly spacious, yet dark and cut off from the rest of the apartment. |
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The entire space was gutted and walls were moved: a pass-through cut into the kitchen wall (see Fig. 1) and a lancet-shaped interior window cut into the cave-like hallway allowed natural light to pour in, and narrow doorways were widened to improve light and circulation. One of the first things to go was the original, deteriorating parquet flooring, to be replaced by sleek, sustainable bamboo (Fig. 2). The parquet flooring did not go to waste however; it was taken to the Community Forklift where it was happily purchased by someone who used it for her home office in West Virginia. The linoleum in the kitchen was replaced with sustainable cork flooring, which is long-lasting and forgiving of dropped dishes, and kind to the hips and knees of middle-aged cooks.
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: Bamboo floor
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: Energy Star stove
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"Going Green" in an apartment presents some limitations for the builder, since many of the big energy-use decisions are already made. However, the owners were determined to improve energy use wherever they could. They addressed this by replacing the original appliances with energy star appliances (Fig. 3), placing compact fluorescent lighting in all fixtures throughout the apartment and shutting off equipment using "standby power" - TVs, computers, and stereos - at the end of use to the extent possible.
Fig. 4: Kitchen shelves line wall instead of cabinets (click to enlarge) |
Sustainable cabinetry was not available without the tremendous environmental cost of shipping across country so the owners opted to use as few cabinets, and as locally made, as possible (Fig. 4). Instead they lined the walls with shelves made from cedar that was salvaged from the leftovers of another job that went to the Forklift rather than a dumpster. The pass-through counter was made from pine that was reclaimed from old rafters of a deconstruction, rather than using strip-mined granite for countertops they used soapstone found at an abandoned quarry. The result was a very chic-looking entertaining-friendly space with everything in easy reach. |
A water saving toilet and a low flow shower head were installed in the bathroom, as well as tiles manufactured by American Olean (made with high recycled content). All coatings and sealers were low VOC, except the paint, due to miscommunication with the painter.
The owners had local Treincarnation artisan Marcus Sims build a floating desk, bathroom vanity and shelves (Fig. 4), and a hallway divider (Fig. 6) of fallen wood that was salvaged locally. Patrick Sells forged custom-designed sconces from recycled metal (Fig. 5) and Sasha Petrov created a neon sign for the kitchen proclaiming “fresh seafood”. Many of the custom-designed elements in the apartment, borrow and repeat design motifs from Parkside Plaza, a tribute to the taste and integrity of the original designers.
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Flower boxes were constructed by Hab Chang from Trex material, made partially from recycled plastic grocery bags. Just one week after the boxes were planted a pair of mourning doves took up residence underneath the petunias and sweet potato vines. Since then the doves and their offspring have flown away but the plantings have flourished. Now the balcony brings the indoors outside and is a great place to unwind after work and have a cocktail. |
Most recently, from a design of Abrams', a chandelier was constructed from a collaboration with Marcus Sims, who created the frame from reclaimed lumber, and Patrick Sells, who created the light boxes from reclaimed metal and artisan glass. The whole of the chandelier was then assembled and mounted by Alan in the renovated dining area. |
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