7770 Norfolk

A well-trafficked carrefour in downtown Bethesda presented a distinct challenge: how to enhance the site's role as a civic crossing, while declaring the neighborhood's creative momentum. 7770 Norfolk is designed to act as a "frame" – an urbanist backdrop for Woodpoint Triangle's evolving streetscape.

Crisp, white metal panels wrap the building's façade and are juxtaposed against glass railings and textured bronze panels, giving it a modern styling and urban sustainability. The building is organized into two primary elements. A slender vertical frame floats above the ground-floor lobby and retail. It culminates in the large outdoor amenity space at its top, a destination seen from the street below, and a frame for the view from above. Beyond the frame is a linear knitting of horizontal plates that define the balance of the building form. A retail program on the ground floor generates active sidewalk life, while a formerly dark alley connecting the street to a municipal parking garage was replaced with a well-lit paseo, increasing both function and safety for the community.