Alexandria, VA – The multi-million dollar project at Chevy Chase Pavilion was a three-pronged effort by rand* construction corporation for the client, Clarion Partners, over a twenty-week construction schedule. A restaurant, a cigar lounge, and a new entrance to the pavilion were designed by Collective Architecture and constructed in the fall of 2012. The renovations to the forty year old retail space required the close coordination of sixteen trades in a particularly tight schedule.
Bryan Voltaggio, “Top Chef” alum and restaurateur, sought to open a market-style restaurant to further his culinary passion for farm-to-table cuisine. Range is located on the 2nd floor of the newly renovated Chevy Chase Pavilion. Housing over 350 pieces of equipment, the new restaurant boasts the largest working kitchen in the District of Columbia. The menu features roughly 40 innovative dishes, and an open kitchen and seating layout allows guests to view the culinary artistry behind the fresh pastas, pizzas, in-house baked breads, and wood grilled meat, fish and poultry. The space is adorned with 3FORM materials, natural stone accents, and porcelain floor tile imported from Italy. Leather seating, Italian light fixtures and back painted glass bedeck the custom Fumed Oak veneer bar, which caters to Range’s creative cocktail program, featuring novelties such as “beef ice” and sought after staples such as Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve bourbon. A 1,200 square foot retail area marked by a seamless, movable glass partition exhibits Voltaggio’s favorite kitchenware for sale as well as artisan chocolates and desserts.
The adjacent cigar lounge, Civil, was built simultaneously by the same project team and shares a kitchen with Range. Co-owners Matt Krimm and John Anderson’s vision of a modern, elegant lounge for cigar enthusiasts and newcomers was realized in the unraveling of traditionally masculine formal confines. A custom Koto wood veneer bar with sculpted floating Eucalyptus shelves and decorative glass inserts is complimented by unique accents to a cigar lounge, such as brighter lighting and deep red walls. The rand* team built 135 custom Spanish Cedar fully climate controlled, humidified cigar lockers made available for Civil regulars. rand* installed a smoke evacuation mechanical system in order to maintain clear, breathable air. This system required the space to be built upon a raised platform, allowing for supply air to circumvent through grilles in the flooring and smoke to be removed through returns in the ceiling. rand* paid close attention to sealing all penetrations, partition-to-deck transitions and all openings in partitions in order to ensure that smoke does not leak into the hotel above or retail space below. Custom humidors and a retail space were constructed in addition to the bar and dining areas.
A new entrance off of Military Road required rand* to demolish the front façade of the building, erect steel beams and reframe new partitions and ceilings. A complex, triple point angle Eucalyptus wood veneer ceiling challenged the most seasoned of craftsmen but was installed in a timely fashion. The new entrance also boasts a one of a kind 3FORM stair, underlit with LED lighting and decorative stone panels. The construction of the stair required precision coordination with millwork, steel, concrete, electrical, stone, drywall and glass trades.
The sensitive location below a hotel and conferencing center and above a retail area greatly constricted the team’s schedule. rand* ran a double shift beginning at 9pm each night to overcome this challenge and complete these truly exceptional spaces.
