Construction was recently completed on The Retail Village at Sycamore & Oak, a 22,000-sf building that will serve as a business incubator for entrepreneurs, including emerging black businesses, in Washington, D.C. The facility, designed by Sir David Adjaye, the architect of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, is expected to attract retail and food concepts that originated in the community.
The building, located in Congress Heights, which has a 38% poverty level—more than double the District’s average rate, will provide a venue for job creation in the economically disadvantaged neighborhood. Michelin star chef and humanitarian Jose Andres will mentor Retail Village restaurant owners. The project was partly conceptualized and will be fully managed by members of the Congress Heights community.
The structure was constructed with Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)-certified, sustainably harvested mass timber. The entire structure, built using screws instead of nails, can be taken apart and reused.
A plinth is used as a focal point for gathering and creates a viewing deck into the multiple programs held in the education centers, as well as for retail incubators, outdoor dining spaces, and a performance pavilion. The structure is open-air with a canopy that offers protection from the elements and cultivates a sense of intimacy or ‘community within community’ when visitors gather underneath.
An environmental canopy collects rainwater and generates electricity from photovoltaic panels. An all-electric building, Sycamore & Oak will demonstrate the efficiency and effectiveness of solar energy, battery storage, heat pumps, and induction cooking, according to a news release. Some of the furniture used locally sourced wood from recovered street trees.
The project, scheduled to open the public on June 14, has already won an award from the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment for demonstrating equity and inclusion in sustainable construction.
On the project team:
Owner and/or developer: STE15 LLC, a joint venture of the Emerson Collective and Redbrick LMD
Design architect: Sir David Adjaye, Adjaye Associates
Architect of record: Winstanley Associates
MEP engineer: CSCE
Structural engineer: Structurecraft
General contractor/construction manager: Banneker Communities
Related Stories
| Jan 6, 2012
New Walgreen's represents an architectural departure
The structure's exterior is a major departure from the corporate image of a traditional Walgreens design.
| Jan 6, 2012
Summit Design+Build completes Park Place in Illinois
Summit was responsible for the complete gut and renovation of the former auto repair shop which required the partial demolition of the existing building, while maintaining the integrity of the original 100 year-old structure, and significant re-grading and landscaping of the site.
| Nov 29, 2011
Suffolk Construction breaks ground on Boston residential tower
Millennium Place III is a $220 million, 256-unit development that will occupy a full city block in Boston’s Downtown Crossing.
| Nov 29, 2011
Report finds credit crunch accounts for 20% of nation’s stalled projects
Persistent financing crunch continues to plague design and construction sector.
| Nov 22, 2011
Jones Lang LaSalle completes construction of two new stores in Manhattan
Firm creates new global design standard serving as project manager for Uniglo’s 89,000-sf flagship location and, 64,000-sf store.
| Oct 26, 2011
Shawmut Design and Construction awarded Tag Heuer build in Aventura, Fla.
New store features 1,200 sf fit out at Aventura Mall.
| Oct 3, 2011
Magellan Development Group opens Village Market in Chicago’s Lakeshore East neighborhood
Magellan Development Group and Hanwha Engineering & Construction are joint-venture development partners on the project. The Village Market was designed for Silver LEED certification by Loewenberg Architects and built by McHugh Construction.
| Sep 23, 2011
Under 40 Leadership Summit
Building Design+Construction’s Under 40 Leadership Summit takes place October 26-28, 2011 Hotel at the Monteleone in New Orleans. Discounted hotel rate deadline: October 2, 2011.
