550 Water is a 35,000 square foot mixed-use development located at the southeast corner of Charlottesville’s downtown core. On a tight “flatiron” site, the building is composed of four volumes that reflect their own proportional rules but remain a harmonious assemblage through material and organizing geometries. The vertically oriented openings appear to span floor plates, creating an elegant series of larger gestures proportioned to the scale of the urban context. 
While distinctly modern, the building nonetheless honors the architectural language of light industrial buildings seen elsewhere along the still active railroad line. The design implements an unusual palette of masonry materials and details to advance the evolution of the traditional building type in Charlottesville’s “warehouse district”.

The proposal received heavy scrutiny from the municipal design review board, and neighboring property owners, but was unanimously passed by the Board of Architectural Review in mid-2016. Core Realty (developer) and FORMWORK are working with Martin Horn on construction of the project.