Highland Park

Torti Gallas worked with a developer client on the redevelopment of two parcels of the Columbia Heights area of Washington D.C. One of Washington’s oldest neighborhoods, Columbia Heights is experiencing an urban transformation back to its previous grandeur. Highland Park, is a 229-unit rental apartment building with street level retail and underground parking with direct Metro access. The architecture of the building uses the Art Deco style to reflect the traditional face of Washington, D.C. apartment buildings.

A significant design challenge involved integrating the existing WMATA Metro station cooling tower into the building’s design. The cooling tower was relocated to the roof of the new building and a dedicated access shaft with an OSHA ladder was provided to the roof from grade level to allow WMATA 24-hour access to its equipment. The cooling tower equipment was reconnected to the Metro station via the shaft.