North Bethesda Market II

Located on Rockville Pike, just outside of Washington, D.C., North Bethesda Market II (NOBE II) is a 970,000-square-foot mixed-use development with retail, office, and nearly 350 residential units. Designed by Studios Architecture for developer the JBG Cos., NOBE II is anchored at the northwest corner by a residential tower; the southern and eastern edges of the site are lined by lower retail and office volumes. A central plaza can play host to farmers markets, musical performances, and other entertainment. “I think there’s the desire to really engage in more than just a retail experience,” says David Burns, a principal in Studios’ New York office, and instead be “a real center to the community.” The stepped southern face of the residential tower “takes the building and tips it back, so that from the plaza, the sky really opens up,” Burns says. The curtainwall, which is composed of several modules of varying depths, allows for deep balconies and exposure to natural light for each unit. The complex should open in 2014.