‘Bridge’ offers “new living in Old City.” The LEED Gold-certified, mixed-use development makes civic opportunity of a constrained urban site next to a busy commuter corridor at the edge of historic Old City. The hybrid of tower and podium negotiates these two conditions, offering residents spectacular skyline and waterfront views, as well as reinforcing ties with surrounding city life. At ground, the building steps back from the harsh intersection to provide a neighborhood destination point. The alignment of the fifth-floor roof commons creates visible connections to the pedestrian, bicycle and rail activity of the adjacent bridge, providing a unique venue to host local events. A mirrored soffit above the fifth floor invites the city to engage with the reflection of activity on the common outdoor terrace above, which when viewed from the terrace, then swaps with views of street life below. The building’s façade traces the transformation from historic to new technology. To achieve the desired architectural expression, the high-performance building envelope was constructed with a window-wall system allowing historic punched openings to transition to large framed openings of high-efficiency glazing for ample daylighting, and providing 60 percent insulated wall. 8,000 square feet of vegetated roof integrates environmental conservation goals of reducing stormwater runoff and heat island effects with an urban amenity. The new building incorporates innovative heating and cooling with variant-refrigerant flow technology with smart thermostats adjustable by residents, individual unit metering and LED lighting. Energy efficiency (anticipating 22.9 percent energy cost savings) and aesthetics were achieved at reasonable cost.
