Preservation of the environment for future generations is a paramount issue facing the world today. As architects, promoting sustainable design is a responsible choice worth pursuing. Typically we are only able to express this choice throught the projects of our clients. In this case, however, the opportunity presented itself to design our own office and incorporate several components to reinforce our belief that sustainability is a key element in responsible design.

In December 2004, Carroll Avenue Properties LLC purchased an abandoned house in the middle of the Takoma Park Historic District at 7034 Carroll Avenue. The house was built some time around 1911, and stands in a commercial overlay zone in Montgomery County, Maryland.

We worked with Carroll Avenue Properties to accommodate as many sustainable components as possible including, but not limited to, cork flooring, low VOC carpet, high efficiency furnaces, gravel in the parking lot and intergral bike racks.

These components in conjunction with other measures and close proximity to the Takoma Park Metro Station gave the project more than the 26 points required for LEED certification.

Our firm was also given the opportunity by the developer to designed an open mezzanine space that allow for an open office layout that prevents from blocking views to the outside and conducts to a brighter, healthier work environment.

a 2003 Mangan Group Architects, All rights reserved

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