Constitution Square Washington, D.C.

PROJECT COST: $600 Million

Constitution Square – a blend of office, residential, hotel and retail space – consumes a seven-acre site in one of the District of Columbia’s dynamic new development venues—NoMa, short for North of Massachusetts Avenue. And at $600 million, it was the largest District construction project to start in 2008.

Clark Construction Group of Bethesda, Md., broke ground on the $269-million construction, 1.6-million-sq-ft, three-building project in March 2008. It includes two office buildings, at 357,000 sq ft and 612,000 sq ft, and a 446,000-sq-ft, mixed-use building with a 50,000-sq-ft grocery store; 128,453-sq-ft, 204-room hotel; and 440 apartments.

Mat foundations support all three concrete structures. There are three levels of parking below grade. A precast concrete and glass system with curtain wall accents will clad the office buildings. And the mixed-use structure features a glass window wall and brick façade.

“It has a modern flair on the residential side,” says Andy Fuhrmann, project executive for Clark. “There’s a rooftop pool and a landscaped courtyard.”

The project team aims to achieve LEED-gold certification for the two office buildings, which include green roofs and a gray-water system to reuse wastewater. Clark is managing several LEED construction credits, including the use of regional and recycled materials. Enhanced commissioning will maximize the efficiency of the buildings’ HVAC systems.

Additional sustainable features include water-efficient landscaping, a rain garden along the streetscape, use of condensate water for irrigation, low-flow restroom fixtures and preferred parking for alternative fuel and fuel-efficient vehicles.

Though not intending to achieve LEED certification, Constitution Square’s residential building will also include sustainable amenities, including multiple green roofs at various elevations.

The project is immediately adjacent to the recently completed New York Avenue Metro Station on the Red Line and within walking distance to Union Station and the U.S. Capitol.

Clark expects to complete the first office building in the first quarter of 2010, the second building in the second quarter and the mixed-use component by the end of 2010.

Affiliates of StonebridgeCarras of Bethesda, Md., and Walton Street Capital of Chicago are developing Constitution Square. The site is master planned as a 2.5 million-sq-ft transit-oriented, mixed-use development.

StonebridgeCarras anticipates NoMa will be home to 15,000 new office workers and thousands of residents during the next five years. The General Services Administration has leased 521,000 sq ft in Two Constitution Square for the Department of Justice.

Key Players

Owner: Affiliates of StonebridgeCarras of Bethesda, Md., and Walton Street Capital, Chicago
Contractor: Clark Construction Group, Bethesda
Architect for Office Buildings:HOK Architects of Washington, D.C.
Architect for the Mixed-Use Building: SK&I Architectural Design Group, Bethesda