Project Description
FROM THE AIA DC:
Forest City Washington’s headquarters anchors its own transformative urban development, The Yards. The office space occupies the second level of the renovated Lumber Shed, built in 1918 as part of the Navy Yard complex. The building’s location within the Yards and its historic status – which dictated maintaining columns, floor slabs, and roof system – defined the interior planning.
The original concrete structure and the clerestoried roof are consistently expressed in the design and layout of the space; preservation requirements also guided other design decisions such as the coloration of the concrete and preservation of the main exposed trusses. Full-height glass partitions on both interior and perimeter glass allow employees to connect as well as to connect the office to its surroundings. These connections expand the perception of the interior space, and offer an inspiring association with the transformation of the Capitol Riverfront.