Vicinity, 1st Phase, Approved PUD

William J. Bonstra, FAIA, LEED AP Chair of MAPP’s Board of Visitors & Involvement as a Recognized Design Leader. Over his 40 year participation as a dedicated alumnus, Bill has been a demonstrated design leader and advocate to The University of Maryland School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation (MAPP). He was named  Chair of MAPP’s

Montgomery County, Maryland’s growing and increasingly diverse population requires the development of various housing typologies to meet the needs of a wide range of resident demographics. Our clients, along with the county, are filling these urban voids with innovative, intergenerational communities that include moderately priced dwelling units (MDPUs), senior housing, and multi-unit, clustered “missing middle” housing. New projects in Wheaton with affordable housing developer AHC Inc., and in Bethesda with market-rate developer Acumen, have received Montgomery County Certified Site Plan (CSP) approvals and will offer a combined 268 new residential units.

Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS recently completed two residential projects across the city that uniquely enhance the urban fabric and reinforce a connection between their residents and the community.  A new infill project along the lively H Street corridor reflects the neighborhood’s energy and diversity, with a contrast of materials and forms in a contemporary composition that relates to the proportions of its re-purposed Victorian neighbors. A Foggy Bottom rowhouse built in the late 1880’s is preserved and revitalized for a client legacy with a contemporary style and creative design solutions to allow sunlight to penetrate into a narrow building envelope.

Across federal and local jurisdictions in the region, Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS has obtained community support and approvals on projects that require careful analysis and design solutions responding to unique urban conditions, while maximizing value for our clients. With over 150 entitlements awarded on more than 75 projects, we maintain a 100% approval rate. Most recently, B|HA worked closely with the Maryland National Capital Parks and Planning, the Bethesda Board of Architectural Review and the Montgomery County Planning Board (MCPB) on projects located in Silver Spring, MD and Bethesda, MD, and with the DC Office of Planning (DCOP) and the Zoning Commission on an affordable housing project in Washington, DC.

The past few months have reinforced the importance of teamwork in the face of health challenges, and confrontation of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in society and in our profession. Our ongoing focus and attention on our team composition has allowed us to build, grow and develop our most valuable asset: our people. The most recent additions to our dynamic team bring talent, perspective, energy, creativity, and skill that make our solutions for each project unique to its special circumstances.

The Midtown Row mixed-use development in Williamsburg, VA is taking shape as steel and concrete podiums are in place and wood framing is complete on multiple buildings. Midtown Row includes four new mixed-use buildings with 70,000 square feet of retail, office, and housing for over 620 residents, two grocery-anchored shopping centers with community-serving retail, an activated community green space, and parking garage. Buildings 1 and 4, the two larger L-shaped buildings, will be the first to be constructed. Building 1 will serve as the main hub for community and resident interaction. It will house the leasing office and a series of amenity spaces for the residents including an exterior patio with a pool.

Our team is very proud to announce that Richard Abendroth, AIA and Robert Kuentzel, AIA have both achieved licensure as Architects. At Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS, Richard and Robert gained requisite well-rounded on-the-job experience, and completed the National Council of Architectural Review Board Architectural Experience Program (AXP) and the 6-part Architectural Registration Exam (A.R.E.). The AXP requires completion of 3,740 hours across six professional practice areas while the A.R.E. assess knowledge and skills of the practice including areas that affect the integrity, soundness, and health impact of a building, as well as an architect’s responsibilities within firms, such as managing projects and coordinating the work of other professionals.

Changing trends in the religious sector are increasingly leading many clerical orders to capitalize on the value of their land by selling all or parts of it for redevelopment, while in turn building smaller, more versatile and efficient facilities. Bonstra | Haresign ARCHITECTS is working on one such project with the Paulist Fathers, who are building a new right-sized mission house and residence as the last of a series of redevelopments of the Paulist’s land in the Brookland neighborhood, DC’s “Little Rome”.