St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion Washington DC Building, Columbia, Congress Heights Design

St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion Washington D.C.

G8WAY DC, Washington DC Development design by Davis Brody Bond Architects, USA

Oct 25, 2013

St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion

Location: Ward 8, Congress Heights Neighborhood, District of Columbia, Washington D.C., USA

Design: Davis Brody Bond Architects and Planners

We post news and images below from the St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion Ribbon Cutting event.

G8WAY DC

photo © Eric Taylor, EricTaylorPhoto.com

St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion Ribbon Cutting Ceremony

Washington, D.C.: On Wednesday, October 23rd, Mayor Vincent C. Gray, DC government officials, community leaders and the members of the design and construction team celebrated the opening of St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion. The pavilion, now known as G8WAY DC, is located at the center of the District of Columbia’s Congress Heights neighborhood in Ward 8.

The newly developed pavilion is the first step of the implementation of the city’s master plan vision to transform the 180-acre Saint Elizabeths East campus into a mixed-use development. The 16,300 square foot open air structure will serve as a location for retail and food vendors as well as community and cultural events.

The pavilion will also serve the 4,000 US Coast Guard employees who recently relocated to a new headquarters building on the adjacent St. Elizabeths West campus. Its completion marked the first time that the historic East campus has been opened to the public.

photo © Eric Taylor, EricTaylorPhoto.com

The pavilion was designed by Davis Brody Bond and constructed on an accelerated schedule by KADCON. Robert Silman Associates served as the structural engineer. Peter D. Cook, AIA NOMA, director of Davis Brody Bond’s Washington, DC office and principal-in-charge of the project, noted that the pavilion will make a monumental difference to this community. “We began with the charge to create a structure that was innovative, iconic and visually distinct and unique from the other structures in the city. Looking around, I think we achieved that.”

photo © Eric Taylor, EricTaylorPhoto.com

The design of the pavilion incorporates the desired functionality while at the same time providing for flexibility and spontaneity. The unique dual-level structure allows for movement and activities throughout the site at different levels.

The ground level encourages easy connections from the most prominent edges of the site, creating three distinct zones, and connecting the urban face of the project to the more pastoral campus setting. The roof level access allows pedestrians to gain a new perspective on the neighborhood by moving seamlessly up and across the site along the universally accessible roof level.

With the goal of achieving LEED Gold status, the project includes several sustainability initiatives such as the use of reclaimed wood, a vegetated green roof, drought resistant plantings, and rainwater harvesting utilizing a 10,000 gallon underground cistern capable of supplying irrigation for the entire site.

Davis Brody Bond Architects and Planners

Davis Brody Bond is recognized for its contributions to the urban fabric of major cities. Founded in 1952, the firm’s work has combined social responsibility with design excellence.

Commissions include important cultural, academic and civic buildings such the award-winning Watha T. Daniel/Shaw and Dorothy I. Height/Benning Neighborhood Libraries for the District of Columbia Public Library system, the restoration of the historic main branch of the New York Public Library, and the design of the National September 11th Memorial Museum at the World Trade Center. Davis Brody Bond is a founding member of the design team collaborating on the new National Museum of African American History and Culture for the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall.

Other current projects include the renovation and expansion of the South African Embassy, as well as the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore. Collaborating with Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, the firm recently won a national design competition to reimagine Union Square in front of the U.S. Capitol on the National Mall.

St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion Building images / information from Davis Brody Bond Architects and Planners

Location: St. Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion, Washington DC, USA

Washington DC Architecture by Davis Brody Bond

National Mall Design Competition for Union Square
Design: Davis Brody Bond / Gustafson Guthrie Nichol

picture Courtesy of GGN, © Methanoia
Union Square National Mall Washington DC

National Museum of African American History and Culture
Design: Freelon Adjaye Bond Smith Group

image courtesy Freelon Adjaye Bond Smith Group
National Museum of African American History and Culture

Smithsonian Institution Master Plan
Design: BIG

photo from architects
Smithsonian Institution Master Plan

Washington Union Station building redevelopment into Iconic Transportation Hub
Design: HOK

image courtesy of Amtrak
Washington Union Station Building

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