Letter
Dear Mr. Anderson:
In its public meeting of 20 April conducted by videoconference, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed a concept design for a new five-building mixed-use development and associated landscape on Parcel 15 of the St. Elizabeths East Campus, at 1110 Oak Drive, SE. Commenting on the transformative opportunity presented by this development, both for the redevelopment of the St. Elizabeths East Campus and for the city as a whole, the Commission approved the submission and provided the following comments to be addressed in a revised concept design.
The Commission members commended the project as visionary and expressed overall support for the architectural design as well as the for sustainable building components proposed. Noting the large scale of the innovative architecture and the civic space contained within it, they commented that the most significant issue for the success of the project will be providing openness and access, along with substantive and long-term public engagement with the surrounding neighborhood. They emphasized that the design should more clearly signal the public character of the project, which is a large-scale development enclosing a precinct of what may appear to be exclusive private space; they therefore recommended increasing the porosity of the site through the deliberate accommodation of pedestrian desire lines and the enhancement of key visual connections, particularly to and from the adjacent Metro station.
More specifically, the Commission members raised concerns regarding the design of the site planning and landscape. For the design of the ground-level retail areas, they advised flexibility, proximity, and variety in the disposition of retail suites in order to encourage and sustain small businesses; they identified the potential challenges for the success of the proposal posed by non-continuous frontages, deep setbacks, and a lack of direct engagement with the surrounding streets. They noted the historic St. Elizabeths Hospital legacy of a therapeutic landscape, and they suggested that the power of this heritage could inform the landscape design, extended throughout the full site; they commented that play areas for children at thresholds into the site could foster a sense of being open and inviting. They also questioned whether the site’s sustainability goals are realistically achievable with the proposed large array of shade trees planted above a garage structure; they advised developing the design to anticipate the landscape’s ephemerality and evolution over time, particularly in the selection and disposition of canopy trees.
The Commission looks forward to reviewing a revised concept submission addressing these comments as part of the project’s design development. As always, the staff is available to assist you.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, FAIA
Secretary
Keith A. Anderson
Interim Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 317
Washington, DC 20004
cc: David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates
Sara Zewde, Studio Zewde
Mei Li, Redbrick LMD
Dan Tangherlini, Emerson Collective