2019 PROJECT Award Winners
In 2019, the awards listed below were available for application by the USGBC-NCR community. Projects were required to be located in the USGBC-NCR region, and where certification was required, projects were to have been awarded certification between June 1, 208 and May 31, 2019.
Awards were not given in all categories. This is done when there were no submissions, or were not submissions which met, in the judging panel’s opinion, the standard of excellence and innovation that the Leadership Awards are intended to recognize.
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NEW CONSTRUCTION
WINNER - THEARC West
Select Notable Application Excerpts
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"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."
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"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.
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"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."
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"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.
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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."
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"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..."
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"...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."
Project Team
Building Bridges Across the River – Owner
Sanchez-Palmer Architects - Architect
Pendagy, LLC – Energy Modeler
Potomac Energy Group – MEP Engineers
WC Smith – Developer
Doo Consulting, LLC – Sustainability Consultant
WCS, LLC – Contractor
Size
92,824 GSF
Certification
LEED v3 BD+C Gold (60 Points)
FTE
150
Daily Visitors
331

Additional Images and Juror Comments
SCHOOLS
WINNER - Bowie State University, Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Nursing
Notable Application Excerpts
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"From the beginning of the project, Bowie State University Past-President Mickey Burnim underscored how crucial the new building’s science and math focus would be to a student’s success in today’s tech-focused economy. 'Any university that was about the business of preparing its graduates for leadership positions in the world had to be an organization that was focusing on the preparation of students in STEM, as well as the Arts and the Humanities'."
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"Materials and finishes were carefully screened and selected to help mitigate the inclusion of hazardous and toxic substances. Walk-off grilles are provided at major building entrances. Ventilation rates and air changes were evaluated to optimize safety, air quality and equipment efficiency...Computerized ventilation system that continuously samples air quality in laboratories and automatically adjusts the rate of airflow as needed."
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"A heating and cooling system including chilled beam technology with chilled water heat exchanger used as a convection to cut energy costs."
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"Sloped landscaping throughout the plaza that prevents rainwater from running onto paved surfaces...A vibrant array of native deciduous shade trees in the building’s plaza serving as a natural buffer from the sun’s rays...A greenhouse integrated into the building for plant sciences research."
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"Bowie State, through PPA funding, installed a 1.65MW photovoltaic array on roofs of adjacent buildings as well as on the ground near the current softball field. Out of the total system annual output of over 4,250 MWh, panels installed on the Marshall Library rooftop have been ‘earmarked’ and set aside in perpetuity to deliver 20% of the predicted energy use for the Center for Natural Sciences, Mathematics & Nursing. The remaining power generated will be used for current and future buildings."
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"Occupied areas were designed to include natural daylight and views to the exterior, but also incorporate shading, heat-gain and glare-control strategies. Electrochromic glazing helps reduce solar heat gain while preserving views both out of and into the building....More than 25,000 SF of electrochromic glass was used for the curtainwall was use to help mitigate solar heat-gain."
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"Laboratory and classroom layouts are configured to be easily reconfigured to reduce waste, cost and contamination caused by demolition and reconstruction."
Project Team
Perkins+Will - Executive Architect/Firm of Record
Perkins+Will - Landscape
Mueller Associates & WFT Engineering - MEP Engineers
Hope Furrer Associates - Structural Engineer
Onix, Inc. - Commissioning Agent
Convergent Technologies Design Group - Acoustic
Site Resources - Civil
Size
192,197 GSF
Certification
LEED v4 BD+C Platinum (89 Points)
FTE
76
Daily Visitors
1147

Additional Images and Juror Comments
RESIDENTIAL
No Award Made in 2019
RESPONSIBLE DESIGN
No Award Made in 2019
HEALTH + WELLNESS IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT
& INTERIORS (2 AWARDS)
WINNER - DPR Construction, Reston Office
Notable Application Excerpts
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“To balance a desire to articulate DPR’s culture and supportive work environment with cost effectiveness, functionality, and other factors, the team established four goals for the new office:
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Workplace of the future: Create a 21st-century workplace that invigorates and encourages the staff
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Sustainability: Incorporate strategies that contribute to the health and well-being of the environment and the staff
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Data-driven decisions: Make decisions based on cost-analysis, payback studies and team expertise
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Living laboratory: Build a living lab where technologies, products and systems could be showcased for customers, designers and the community."
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"Despite creating longer commutes for a quarter of employees, DPR has seen zero attrition since moving into the new space. Additionally, employee surveys indicated a 29% increase in employee engagement from the previous workspace."
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"The Lucid dashboard provides real-time information related to energy and water consumption, as well as energy produced by the photovoltaic array."
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"The team opted to preserve the use of 100% outside air even though it meant increasing energy generation needs to achieve NZE." Additionally, "The team went all in on productivity and employee comfort, creating a comfortable temperature range in the office which was worth a small extra expenditure on energy generation."
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"The goals and requirements of the project meant significant alterations to a building that is only being leased. Educating the owner’s investors, asset managers, and maintenance staff was a critical element to the overall project success. Alterations included attaching the PV panels to the roof, reinforcing the roof structure with 77 new
trusses to support wind uplift of the PV panels, relocating the core bathrooms, major changes to the entrances and exits of the space, and demolishing all existing base building MEP systems." -
"To utilize the latest technology in solar panel systems, which had evolved during the course of construction, DPR had to resubmit our permit application to utilize a 20.3% efficient panel in lieu of the 17.6% panel initially
designed and submitted for permit. In addition, the complete alteration of the 2nd floor influenced the fire marshal, who insisted the 1st floor (NOT part of the project space) needed to be brought up to code prior to occupation of the, space three days before intended occupation and move. Penzance, DPR, Smithgroup, and MCDean worked over 72 hours to get a system designed, permitted, installed and approved." -
"Through whiteboarding, conversations, and detailed analysis of anticipated return on investment, the team reached alignment around what was truly important. Everyone clearly understood owner requirements, had a willingness to tackle conflicts together, and kept an open mind."
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"DPR utilized life cycle cost analysis as a data driven means to make important and sometimes surprising decisions. These studies took into account maintenance, operation, acoustics, and long-term flexibility of the systems."
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"One item for which data analysis caused a different outcome than expected was the installation of insulation.
It’s easy to assume that an early 1980’s building would need additional insulation. The first estimate of the cost was
$130,000. However, deeper examination and a subsequent comparison of energy models with and without insulation demonstrated only a $460 per year savings with insulation, meaning the payback would never be realized. Instead of a costly upgrade for a negligible return, DPR made a better investment by buying another solar panel for that cost, more than offsetting the minimal insulation loss." -
"The space was designed to how DPR employees work, not just to industry trends. DPR surveyed employees prior to the move, asking detailed questions on their typical day, walking paths, key points of frustration, etc. These survey results were used in the design of the space. The same survey was then given to employees six months after moving into the new office, where efficiency scores dramatically improved."
Project Team
DPR Construction - Client
SmithGroup - Architect and MEP Engineer
Herman Miller - Furniture
Sustainable Building Partners - Sustainability Consultant
Southland Industries - Mechanical Contractor
M.C. Dean - Electrical Contractor
Gutierrez Studios - Ornamental Metals Artisan
Sandtown Millworks - Custom Reclaimed Furniture
Old Wood DE, LLC - Reclaimed Wood Supplier
Healthy Buildings - WELL Building Pre-Testing and Consultant
Penzance - Broker
Size
20,000 GSF
Certification
LEED v4 ID+C Platinum (80 Points)
WELL v1 Gold (30 Optimizations)
Fitwel (1 Star)
Leesman+ (in top 4% of offices worldwide)
FTE
55
Daily Visitors
20
