division one, inc., rockville, md.
The architects at diVISION ONE, Inc., couldn't find a developer to build five contemporary town houses in the nation's ultraconservative capital, so they tackled the project themselves, becoming developers, contractors, and designers for the Logan Heights Development. The result is a striking, Modern complex with a distinctly European flavor, praised by the judges for its "energy" and the unusual roles the designers played in its completion.
Partner Ali R. Honarkar and his colleagues broke down the 80-foot street elevation with balconies and inscribed lines that create rhythm on each facade but continue through the development to link the town houses together. "Our goal here was to have the whole place look like a single complex, but one where you could read individual units," Honarkar says.
A blend of masonry, EIFS, and stainless steel railings instantly distinguishes the houses from what Honarkar calls "all those other Victorian residences in downtown D.C."
project architects: Ali R. Honarkar, Mustafa Ali Nouri, and Craig Williams, diVISION ONE, Inc.
land planner: diVISION ONE, Inc.
developers: Ali R. Honarkar, Mustafa Ali Nouri, and Craig Williams, Development Studios, LLC, Rockville
general contractor: D 1-2, Inc., Rockville
landscape architect: diVISION ONE, Inc.
interior designer: diVISION ONE, Inc.
project size: 2,100 square feet per unit
site size: 0.17 acre
construction cost: $180 per square foot
sales price: $600,000 to $750,000 per unit
units in project: 5
photographer: Debi Fox Photography
