Younger residents creating design shift in DC: architect

Washington’s architecture is changing rapidly thanks to a cultural and demographic shift unique to D.C as more millennials move into the city.

“When I first came, it was a bit of a button-down place,” said David Bagnoli, Principal of MBStudio, formerly MB Architects.

“I think that Washington in the early and mid-90s still held on to fairly conservative architecture,” he said, adding that when he returned in 2004, interesting things were happening architecturally. This was a reflection of cultural changes not just locally, but nationally, he told What’s Working in Washington.

Architectural studios that bring unique building designs are seeing more demand in D.C., and Bagnoli attributes this rise to millennials.

“We’ve noticed that a lot of young people have Washington in their sights as a place to live, where in years past might have been Chicago, or New York, or Minneapolis, or Portland, or Seattle,” Bagnoli said.

“With that influx of young people and young thinking, there’s been a lot of creative development that’s started to happen,” he said. “We tend to think that as a practice, some of the more exciting things we see are coming from some of the younger firms and younger developers. And these are addressing concerns of a millennial mindset,” said Bagnoli.

“Washington has had a bit of an evolution over the last 10 or 12 years, and it’s certainly working in our favor,” Bagnoli said.

Historically, Washington hasn’t been a design-based city. With more young people moving to the area, Bagnoli believes the change is “a bit of demographics,” but that’s not the whole reason for the changes.

“I don’t believe that firms in Washington are given a fair shake on design,” Bagnoli said, adding that since D.C. has so much oversight for all its building projects, architects looking to build something unique could become frustrated with the multiple overlay groups to deal with.

“What we find, is when people come from out of town, they don’t really understand these processes, and they may ultimately kind of give up,” he said.

One of MBDesign’s current projects is the Wharf Project, which is dedicated to revitalizing D.C. as a waterfront city through a number of buildings and scenic docks on the Potomac River.

Pier 4, on the south side, is a 1940s pier and the new project will serve as a headquarters for riverboat tour companies, as well as “market-rate office out over the water. It’ll be the only building in Washington that’s built over the Washington channel or over the river,” he said.

“The intention is to market it towards a younger mindset,” he said.

“I really do believe that Washington has started to evolve beyond just the seat of the federal government, to being really one of the best places in America to live,” said Bagnoli.

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