The Silva

Located within Washington, DC’s embassy district, The Silva is a transitional in-fill residential development sensitively knitted within a historic institutional district and a vibrant residential neighborhood. Resting on a corner with two street frontages, its human-scale and residential qualities are presented by the bond of the building and its public streetscape landscape. Historic religious and embassy structures abutt the development parcel’s interior perimeter on which the building’s horseshoe footprint faces, creating a central garden courtyard. Designed as a communal community building resource, the courtyard landscape is a distinct “secret garden” for peaceful occupation and visual wonder. Accessible from three sides, its permeability enhances flow and psychological connections to the neighborhood. The courtyard’s woodland characteristics draw reference to nearby Rock Creek Park Forest native plant communities. The garden’s forest perimeter spatially defines a medley of communal and social gathering garden rooms. As a vegetative backdrop, its copses of tall Maple and Oak trees provide privacy and soften the neighboring buildings’ irregular presence. The expansive continuity of the courtyard’s native plant communities spatially binds its activity spaces to create a visually calming, cohesive landscape character. With its multi-purpose function as a residential community space, the courtyard’s central location provides residents with a dynamic seasonal sanctuary for peaceful escape or simply a place to view and commune with its natural world wonders.

The Silva’s various rooftop levels are blanketed with living roof gardens that embellish every view with a visual connection to nature. Apartment units with a roof terrace are defined and separated by the building’s shared rooftop landscape, providing privacy and a “built-in” garden context. The building’s swimming pool terrace and adjoining wet bar and BBQ grilling station lounges are enveloped within another regionally inspired landscape spatial structure that mysteriously frames panoramic unimpeded cityscape views.