Washington, DC

CityCenterDC Retail Plaza

Scope/Solutions
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Project Summary

Scope/Solutions

CityCenterDC, designed by Foster + Partners and Shalom Baranes Associates, comprises six, eleven-story buildings: two office towers, two apartment towers, and two condominiums towers constructed over a shared, below-grade parking garage. Vibrant storefronts and digital displays along the central plaza and pedestrian alleys attract visitors to the 2.5 million sq ft, mixed-use development. In addition to providing building enclosure consulting for the base buildings, SGH consulted on the building enclosure design for the plaza gateway and many custom retail storefronts, frequently requiring significant modifications to the base building shell.

Collaborating with Hines (the developer), Shalom Baranes Associates (the base-building architect), and the retail design teams, SGH assisted with the building enclosure design of the retail storefronts and interior waterproofing for the plaza level. Highlights of our work include:

Assisting with the interior waterproofing design for wet areas in the restaurants, such as kitchens and similar interior facilities
Working with our lighting subconsultant to evaluate light projected on adjacent building facades and residential units from an illuminated storefront and comparing that to the project’s lighting thresholds intended to minimize disruption to the residents at night
Collaborating with the retail contractors to modify existing facade systems, such as the base building unitized curtain wall to incorporate retail branding and accents featuring custom metal work and mullion details
Helping the tenants’ architect redesign waterproofing for areas where the plaza slab was removed to accommodate new facades and relocated entrances

SGH also worked with Shalom Baranes Associates to develop details for the dynamic gateway feature, including a plaza expansion joint that runs under the vertical screen and the transitions from the plaza waterproofing systems to the glass enclosures for the elevators that surface under the gateway.