Avocet Tower in Maryland now under construction

Pickard Chilton, an architecture studio, has started the construction of its design for Avocet Tower, a 530,000 square-foot mixed-use development for Stonebridge, comprising a hotel and office tower at 7373 Wisconsin Avenue in the Central Business District of Bethesda, Maryland.

Atop a lobby and amenity podium, Avocet Tower will have a glass-clad 370,000-square-foot Class-A office tower and a 220-room AC Hotel. The project, with delivery expected in summer 2021, is a P3 (public–private partnership) development between Stonebridge and Montgomery County, Maryland.

The transit-oriented development is located directly across from the Bethesda Metro station, and will also accommodate above-and below-grade parking. Virginia-based Cooper Carry is the project's Architect of Record.

Anticipating LEED-Platinum certification, Avocet Tower's sustainability features will include advanced mechanical systems, secured bicycle storage, electric vehicle charging stations, bio-retention basins on the roof terrace, and glazing throughout the entire office area.

Avocet Tower's side-core design will allow for efficient floor plates of 22,000 square feet to 28,000 square feet. The building's View Dynamic Glass will control natural light within the office tower. Glass canopies will mark the hotel's and office building's front entrances, and a mix of public and private amenities and open space will encourage a continuous flow from Wisconsin Avenue through the 10,000-square-foot landscaped public plaza and shared lobby.

The building will be topped by a 7,500-square-foot sky terrace and crowned by a trellis. Additional amenities will include a fitness center and a conference center on the 18th floor. The tower will also have work and gathering spaces, as well as a restaurant.