Shaw Interview Series: Q & A with Nooni Reatig

As a Real Estate Agent with a Website, Twitter Feed, Facebook Page, and Blog dedicated to Shaw DC Real Estate, I feel it is my responsibility to connect to the area in which I specialize.

This week, I speak with Nooni Reatig, Designer-Developer at Suzane Reatig Architecture.  The interview was truly my pleasure (photos courtesy of Nooni Reatig)

Kevin:  Nooni, if you don’t mind, could you give a brief context of Suzane Reatig Architecture?

Nooni:  Sure.  My mom, Suzane Reatig, started the firm in 1989 (where I now work).  We work mainly on residential and mixed-use residential projects.  Our architecture focuses on improving how people live their everyday lives, and we design buildings that we would want to live in ourselves.  So we put everything into it.  

Kevin:  How did Suzane Reatig Architecture get started?

Nooni:  We started with residential and commercial projects—on a small scale—strictly by word of mouth.  Then, in the early 1990s, Suzane was asked to design a church here in Shaw:  The Metropolitan Community Church on 5^th and Ridge.  The project received a lot of exposure and design awards, which boosted the presence of Suzane Reatig Architecture, creating many more projects in the neighborhood.

Kevin:  What a great start for your company!

Nooni:  It was.  The Church project is a story in and of itself which could be another interview altogether.  It created a great open dialogue within the community surrounding that project, very substantive and sincere.   At the time, Shaw was not the Shaw we see today.  There wasn’t the Convention Center, there was a lot of blighted land, and there was a lot of crime.  It was a different place.

Kevin: Did you grow up in Shaw?

Nooni:  I grew up in the Maryland suburbs and came to Shaw with my mom to see construction sites when I was a kid.  Watching Shaw transform from the time I was twelve in the early 90s, through today, a span of twenty years, formed the way I think about cities and gave me insight into what works and what doesn’t urbanistically.  Shaw is personal to me and became a large part of my personal blueprint. 

 

Kevin:  So you saw Shaw changing gradually, rather than the rapid changes we are seeing today…

Nooni:  Yes.  I’ve been going to various community meetings for years now.  I live here and chose Shaw to be my neighborhood.  You know, there is a lot of talk today about Shaw “changing overnight,” and people look back and say “look how much has changed!”  But that isn’t the reality.  The change has been slow; it’s been “20 years overnight” (laughs).  So, observing Shaw’s change in slow motion has shown me what projects have been catalysts for developing successful neighborhoods.

Kevin: So how do you incorporate your “Shaw Blueprint” into your designs and work?

Nooni:  Right.  Well, it isn’t just about making buildings.  It’s about improving a quality of life—we want the buildings we design to meet the needs of every part of our residents’ lifestyles, to be enjoyable and functional to their tastes—completely. 

Kevin:  Do you have particular “themes” you use in your designs?

Nooni:  Sure.  Cross ventilation.  A lot of natural light.  A lot of nature.  Big windows-encouraging transparency and creating safer streets.  Large spaces—creating the largest units we possibly can with the most efficient design.  We want people to enjoy their home 100% of the time, rather than living in a smaller unit, in a building with a lot of amenities that are only used, let’s say, 5% of the time.  

Kevin:  Can you expand on how you use nature?

Nooni:  Much of our work is bringing nature inside a building.  Courtyards, private outdoor spaces, terraces, etc.  I mean, nature is something people thirst for in the city.  The connection to nature is too important and is the focal point for our designs.

Kevin:  So we have space, nature, cross ventilation…how would you say the “character” of your design relates to the community?

Nooni:  Hmm…I think the “character” is found in the people.  Not the building.  I think this is one of the reasons we work well within our community.  Our work is not interested in replicating styles.  We only seek to find solid solutions to the built environment- giving back to the community by designing quality spaces that will be used every day by the people who live in them.  Our buildings are built well for people to live well.  

Kevin:  Since Shaw is a diverse place, do you find it an evolving challenge to meet the varying tastes and desires of a diverse clientele?

Nooni:  The challenge is always there, yes.  I think Shaw is so valuable right now because diversity equals value.  There is diversity of scales, diversity of incomes, diversity of ages, diversity of backgrounds, and this is what it means to live in a city!  Everything in one place.  It’s real life!  Appreciating and designing within the context and historical authenticity of Shaw is something we love to do—all while creating the most simple and elegant solutions to space possible.

Kevin:  Yes, I agree with you.  I think Shaw is such a diverse place right now that it leaves many people to ask:  “What is Shaw right now?”

Nooni:  Yeah…that’s a big question…almost stifling.  I would say Shaw is about change and growth right now, and we have some idea of where it’s going, but not entirely.  Shaw is about layers:  from the insides of buildings, to the outside character of buildings, the sidewalks, the streets, the fences, the trees, and the diversity of its people.  Shaw is about growing, in a city that is alive.

Kevin:  So if I asked you, “What is Shaw?” what would you say.

Nooni:  I would say Shaw is who Shaw is.  The people.  It’s also the unique small businesses!  It’s its authenticity.  It’s the emphasis on locality.  It’s its evolving commercialism—we need that too!  There always needs to be a mix between residential and commercial:  or else it isn’t special.  You can’t have only mom and pop shops or only big-box stores.  It’s the balance and diversity that is the beauty of this city.  

Kevin:  Again, well said!  Anything else you want to include in our Q and A?

Nooni:  We are just happy to participate in the ongoing dialogue within Shaw.  

Kevin:  Thank you, Nooni, for your insights into Shaw as well as being part of the evolving business culture of Shaw.

Nooni:  My pleasure!