CONCEIVED IN 1791, Pierre L'Enfant's vision for Washington was one of a broad, horizontal skyline, punctuated by steeples and domes, with the Capitol building at its apex. The low-lying nature of the city, which brings light and air to the pedestrian level and allows its most prominent landmarks to stand tall, has been protected for more than a century by a building height limit of 160 feet.
THE SITE CONSTRAINTS ON THIS ACRE of turf would have prompted most developers to call it a day, but not Capital Pacific Homes. In the steeply graded parcel, its scouts saw a chance to meet present-day housing needs without sacrificing historic architecture.
RESTRAINT BECOMES THIS GEM OF A house on .18 acre in Silicon Valley. The clients wanted to use every square inch of available space, all the while reinforcing the dwelling's connection to the outdoors.
CITIES ARE MERCURIAL PLACES where the character of a street can change dramatically from one block to the next. Case in point: This tricky infill project in Pasadena, Calif., which presents two entirely different façades from different vantage points.
IT'S HARD TO GO WRONG WITH PROPERTY in Portland's Pearl District, the erstwhile industrial zone now revered by city planners nationwide as a model for urban redevelopment. Lexis on the Park, a 139-unit condo project in the heart of said district, had the killer location from the get-go.
