Project Brief

Located in the heart of DC at 1630 Columbia Road in the vibrant Adams Morgan neighborhood, The Silva offers an unparalleled luxury apartment experience. After demolishing an existing parking garage, we got to work on constructing the new building. Ten stories, a rooftop Infinity Pool, and one of the most unique aesthetics in the nation’s capital—built by DAVIS.

The Silva façade detail
The Silva pool
The Silva lobby
The Silva apartment

An exciting addition to a thriving community.

The Silva rose out of a partnership between Mitsui Fudosan America Inc., the U.S. affiliate of Japan’s largest public developer, and EastBanc, based in DC. This is no ordinary apartment building, though—the Silva was designed to fit in with its environment, including the Scottish Rite Center adjacent to it. At the building’s groundbreaking in July 2019, the DC Scottish Rite installed a time capsule to commemorate the site. Two years later, the Silva was complete, and one look at the building is enough to make an impression.

Taking a measured approach.

The Silva’s eye-catching design reflects the complexity of the building’s structure. Fitting the building into a dense environment on the 16th Street Corridor took close coordination and focus from all parties, but the final product is a standout. The façade consists of 123 Oriel windows that protrude beyond the main plane, giving each unit more floor area and a distinct view. In another twist, there aren’t any 90-degree angles on the façade, so measurements had to be extremely precise.

An unexpected challenge arose when, during the middle of construction, the COVID-19 pandemic shook up the supply chain. The Silva is the first building in Washington, DC to use Porcelanosa rainscreen, which was fabricated and shipped from Spain. This could have seriously affected the project’s timing, but with constant communication from all parties and a streamlined installation process, we were able to work around these issues and deliver the building on time.

Photos by Ron Ngiam, Courtesy of CORE architecture + design