Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Ballpark Area Scores Another Office Building


Donohoe Realty sat before the Zoning Commission yesterday evening and got the first set of approvals on their proposed office building at 1111 New Jersey Avenue, which will sit at the intersection of New Jersey Avenue and M Streets, SE, right on top of the Navy Yard Metro station. The building had gone through the Board of Zoning Adjustment application process back in May of last year for 'essentially' the same project, but since then Donohoe acquired the adjacent Navy Yard metro site, which fronts M Street. This new addition to the site now requires the Zoning Commission, rather than BZA, to weigh in. The Commission approved the plans 4 to 0.

WDG Architecture
designed the office building to sit 11 stories high, with a total of 200,000 s.f. of space within shouting distance of Nationals stadium, just south of St. Matthews Church and adjacent to the Opus office building currently under construction. The offices will sit atop three-underground levels of parking and a single story of ground floor retail. The rooftop will have dual uses: half will be a mechanical penthouse while the other half will be exposed with rooftop terraces.

WDG's Siti Abdul Rahman explained the design of the building during the Zoning Commission's last public hearing:"What we did is we created a very simple, plain, curtain wall glass, very pristine vaults with minimal architectural detail on this facade which is facing M Street...it wraps around towards New Jersey Avenue, and on New Jersey Avenue, what we did is we added a bit more texture onto the facade by creating a horizontal architectural metal banding glass. So it became a bit more texture[d]...To tie these two walls together, we added a metal vertical element and that will run down to the building and ties down to a metal and glass canopy. We also use[d] a more clear glass to benefit the retail spaces."

The next step is to get NCPC's nod - after which Zoning will give their approving order and construction permits can be sought.

9 comments:

David Garber on Mar 11, 2008, 5:26:00 PM said...

what a formless, ugly building

Anonymous said...

it is kind of ugly, but that seems to be the thing right now - glass buildings.

i wonder why...

erin*carly on Mar 12, 2008, 9:39:00 AM said...

and you would rather have the typical 70/80's stype prefab concrete building with its porthole windows in that space instead? i'd rather a glass box than another one of those any day.

David Garber on Mar 12, 2008, 10:35:00 AM said...

are those our only two options? i think people need to re-embrace their creative side, as well as build buildings that we are going to fight to preserve.

Anonymous said...

Why do people always complain about stuff? If it is ugly then propose a new design

gpliving on Mar 12, 2008, 8:04:00 PM said...

I'd love to see a Gaudi-like building in DC. It would blow people's minds!

Anonymous said...

yes, GPLiving, that would be cool to have a Gaudi-like building here!

Anonymous said...

oh finally more glass... I'm happy that damned church is being torn down...

oh... and that its not another "brick highrise"

Anonymous said...

St. Matthew's is being torn down, but not to build 1111 NJ. Ruben companies bought the church but hasn't released any plans.

And yes, the office building is awful. At least the sidewalk looks wide enough for some outdoor tables.

I guess it's still better than the old gas station.

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