Judging New Buildings – Kozo

Photos by Chris Spillman/RealEst Photography

From an email: “Kozo, a boutique condominium just finished construction in Columbia Heights. P.T. Blooms Development tasked Jonathan Kuhn: http://kuhnarchitect.com. to build the eight-unit property, which is located at 1434 Chapin Street, NW. Inspired by Japanese architecture, Kozo playfully blends nature and the built environment to create a series of homes that are full of light and minimize the boundaries between the manmade structure and surrounding greenery.

What makes this building unique, and worthy of a second look, is the use of materials and an undulating façade. Staggered, black-framed balconies project from the white masonry façade contrasting in both color and depth. From the interior the balconies frame views along the street and beyond. The inner skin of the balconies is clad in natural wood to soften and provide warmth against the contrasting black-and-white façade. On the outside, these black metal balconies against the white brick create a clean, modern look and act as a playful addition to the streetscape. Another important design element are the ribbons of LED lights, which are embedded into the balconies. These lights can be custom colored by residents, which help accentuate the building’s exterior at night.

Kozo features three one-bedroom, one-bath residences, four two-bedroom, two bath residences and one three-bedroom, three bath residences, which range from 583 to 1,550-square-feet. The three-bedroom unit and one two-bedroom unit are two-level penthouses complete with roof decks. The lowest price unit sold for 530k and the most expensive was 1.225M, the average out-sale per square foot for the whole building was just over 800 dollars a foot.

It was Built by P.T. Blooms Development. We are a tiny company, Me, Michael Boyd (construction guy) Patrick Bloomfield (name of the company and the numbers/development/acquisitions) and Pat’s wife Krystel (all the interior design and accounting). We self perform all of our work and are a licensed general contractor in DC. Other design elements of note include: 11 feet high ceilings; floors are seven-inch white oak plank, GE Café or Thermador appliances, lacquered flat-panel custom cabinets, spring-loaded push latches on the cabinets and drawers, white quartz counters, under-cabinet lighting, concealed outlets and a Vigo under-mount stainless-steel sink. The bathrooms have 24-by-24-inch Porcelanosa wall and floor tiles, quartz vanity counters, a Kohler elongated toilet, a Mirabelle deep soaking tub and a frameless glass shower enclosure.

Kozo: New construction of an 8-unit condo building sets the standard for new development of homes in the area around Malcolm X (Meridian Hill) Park.

A row structure urban in-fill project offered an opportunity for upscale condos in a walkable neighborhood in close proximity to many of the amenities of city living.

The design stands out along the Chapin Street corridor by the use of materials and an undulating façade. Staggered, black-framed balconies project from the white masonry façade contrasting in both color and depth. From the interior the balconies frame views along the street and beyond. The inner skin of the balconies is clad in wood to soften and provide warmth against the contrasting black-n-white façade. The perimeter of each is lined with an LED ribbon light highlighting the cubed balconies.

Each of the 8 condos have exterior space either by balconies, an inner closed courtyard, or roof top decks taking in the city from varying perspectives. The interiors include modern kitchens and finishes complimenting and consistent with the exterior.”