"The engine of THEARC is the nonprofit, Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR), whose mission is to improve the quality of life for children and adults who reside east of the Anacostia River by providing leadership, management, and financial oversight of THEARC, 11th Street Bridge Park, THEARC Farm, THEARC Theater & Skyland Workforce Center....It is the largest social service, multi-sector, nonprofit collaboration in America."

"THEARC campus houses 14 nonprofit organizations...THEARC supports the resident partners’ by offering office, rehearsal, classroom, program, performance space and facilities management free of charge.

"THEARC is a home away from home for the many underserved children and adults of East of the River, with the help of our non-profit resident partners, the community is able to participate in dance classes, music, fine arts, academics, continuing education, mentoring, tutoring, recreation, medical and dental care, and other services at a substantially reduced cost or no cost at all. THEARC West is the most recent expansion of the campus."

"The challenges for this particular building design process included maintaining a cohesive aesthetic with
the existing campus buildings. This is even more complex when balancing the program and facility
requirements of nine different partner organizations (tenants) with very different functional needs, with the
facility standards of BBAR, the client and management organization."

"As is often the case with non-profit funding, the timing and accessibility of funds doesn’t always work into
the project schedule."

As a result of this and other difficulties, multiple elements of the design, including a variety of sustainable materials and a PV array "estimated to generate 63,416 kWh annually" was not factored into the building's final certification award.

"HVAC systems, including controls, have been designed to be flexible enough to accommodate changes in partners (tenants) over time. Program and space needs can change as well as partners themselves and building systems need to be able to adapt without significant re-planning or re-configuration."

"The owner committed to protect or restore 305,350 SF of land, achieving exemplary performance for this LEED credit even without including the post-construction landscaped area or vegetated roof in the calculation. This site provides neighborhood residents and occupants with opportunities to directly connect with nature in a manner they may rarely encounter otherwise."

"The THEARC Farm is both a teaching tool and a resource that provides fresh produce to the community at a low cost through the Community Supported Agriculture program, Community Raised Inspired & Sourced Produce (CRISP), while engaging neighbors in hands-on cultivation activities."

"The pursuit of LEED certification for THEARC West provided the impetus for the owner to institute green cleaning and integrated pest management policies campus-wide to protect the health of occupants and the environment."

"The campus is located centrally to the residential area of focus, other community services, and public transit, while taking advantage of and stewarding the adjacent woodlands environment. This location also allows ease of access to youth and community members without vehicles..."

"...THEARC Theater, is the first theater in Washington, DC’s Ward 8...THEARC Black Box works in tandem with the Theater to provide arts programming as well as theater and film production and theater hospitality internships for those living east of the Anacostia River...The Phillips Collection’s new campus at THEARC provides arts-infused services...Skyland Workforce Center provides high-quality workforce development programs in one location, leading to work-ready candidates, career-focused job placement, economic self-sufficiency, and improved quality of life...The Bishop John T. Walker School for Boys strives to alter the educational and social trajectory of children from traditionally underserved communities and prepare them for leadership and service in their communities and well beyond....Serving children ages 0 to 23, The Children’s National Health System: Children’s Health Project of DC is a full-service medical clinic that provides services related to preventive health care, sick visits, immunizations, chronic illness management, psychological health, legal aid, referral management, and social support services. The clinic also provides 24-hour, seven-day a week on-call service to patients. Comprehensive dental services are available through the on-site mobile dental unit....AppleTree Early Learning Public Charter School Parklands ...implements Every Child Ready, AppleTree’s award-winning instructional model that helps all children thrive through a three-tier response-to-intervention model ...The Meditation Center (TMC) @ THEARC opened its doors in January 2018 to address the epidemic of stress and trauma which undermines the health and well-being of residents in Wards 7 and 8. TMC serves youth, adults, and seniors by offering Transcendental Meditation® (TM) courses. In addition, TMC partners with the 13 other community service organizations at THEARC to train their staff and clients in the Transcendental Meditation technique."