The $74 million 10-story, 255,000-sq-ft 300 New Jersey Avenue project boasts a dramatic glass atrium with a bright yellow structural steel tree that houses much of the atrium’s mechanical systems. Photo Courtesy of Chuck Choi Related Links: Mid-Atlantic Construction�s Best of 2009 Awards The Clark Construction project links two wings of the L-shaped Acacia Building, which were built in 1935 and 1955. One goal was to create an open gathering space that encourages employee interaction. Most of the building is leased by one law firm, and its employees can use the atrium to meet or go between offices more quickly.

The $59 million 901 K Street project by Clark Construction is a new, 250,000-sq-ft, 12-story building next to the Mount Vernon Place United Methodist Church in the East End neighborhood of Washington, D.C. Photo Courtesy of Clark Construction Group, LLC Related Links: Mid-Atlantic Construction�s Best of 2009 Awards The project included a glass atrium that connected the two buildings. A terra-cotta rain screen is used on the building’s exterior, the first major application of the material in D.C. The project team also underpinned the existing church below grade. Clark was also working on a renovation of the church, which was

2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard in Rockville, Md., is a 200,000-sq-ft, nine-story Super Class A commercial office building. One of the two developers is The Tower Cos., a real estate firm that also has its LEED platinum headquarters on the building’s ninth floor. The office property is built in a 200-acre park setting, where two-thirds of the property is set aside as preserved woodland and open space. Related Links: Top Design Mid-Atlantic Projects Go Platinum Lafayette Tower Washington, D.C. The Inger and Walter Rice Center Richmond, Va. Tower Cos. Corporate Headquarters Rockville, Md. The building incorporates Vedic architectural design principals of

The Inger and Walter Rice Center for Environmental Life Sciences is Virginia Commonwealth University’s field station devoted to environmental research, teaching and public service. A primary focus of research at the site is on the science and policy of large rivers and their fringing riparian and wetland landscapes. Related Links: Top Design Mid-Atlantic Projects Go Platinum Lafayette Tower Washington, D.C. Tower Cos. Corporate Headquarters Rockville, Md. 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard Rockville, Md. The 4,889-sq-ft center sits on 343 acres along the James River. The property is divided by a 70-acre lake, an early 20th Century impoundment of Kimages Creek, which

Located in Washington D.C.’s Golden Triangle, the 11-story, 327,688-sq-ft Lafayette Tower includes three levels of parking and a 1,485-sq-ft roof terrace. The project promotes biodiversity by exceeding the requirements for open space through a vegetated roof design. The green roof accounts for more than half the site’s open space. Related Links: Top Design Mid-Atlantic Projects Go Platinum The Inger and Walter Rice Center Richmond, Va. Tower Cos. Corporate Headquarters Rockville, Md. 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard Rockville, Md. A high-efficiency chilled water system with advanced energy-recovery systems provides improvement well above current ASHRAE standards. Water is conserved through the use of

Not long ago, a LEED platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council was a goal that raised the eyebrows of most developers. Related Links: Lafayette Tower Washington, D.C. The Inger and Walter Rice Center Richmond, Va. Tower Cos. Corporate Headquarters Rockville, Md. 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard Rockville, Md. They asked: How costly is a green project? How difficult is it to find sustainable materials? Are there enough subcontractors out there familiar with the new, energy-saving electrical and mechanical systems? Today, LEED certification is becoming commonplace, and regulations in the Washington, D.C., metro area as well as Philadelphia have pushed

The 19,000-sq-ft Tower Cos. Corporate Headquarters project is located on the ninth floor of 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard—itself a LEED platinum project (see adjacent story)—and was the first LEED platinum-certified office in Maryland under the LEED for Commercial Interiors rating system. Related Links: Top Design Mid-Atlantic Projects Go Platinum Lafayette Tower Washington, D.C. The Inger and Walter Rice Center Richmond, Va. 2000 Tower Oaks Boulevard Rockville, Md. The headquarters and base building make up the first “double platinum” project in the Washington, D.C., area. The owner’s goal was to create the healthiest and most environmentally sound workplace possible. The design