The design and construction of the St Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion has been awarded to an internationally recognized design team, with portfolios that include the National September 11th Memorial and DC’s Eastern Market. The Gateway Pavilion will be constructed in the Summer of 2013.
First New Construction This Century
In a bold step that opens the gates toward transforming St Elizabeths East into a birthplace for new and profitable commerce, the design and construction of the St Elizabeths East Gateway Pavilion has been awarded to Davis Brody Bond, KADCON, and Robert Silman Associates. The design team was selected to create an interim structure that will complement the first phase of redevelopment and set a significant milestone toward new and profitable innovation and commerce.
The Gateway Pavilion will be an innovative, flexible, and aesthetically unique structure serving a range of interim uses and letting visitors to experience the site as the redevelopment goes underway Envisioned as a destination for casual dining, as well as a venue for hosting a farmers market and other weekend and afterhours, community, cultural and arts events, the Gateway Pavilion sets the stage for a once-in-a-generation development that will cultivate globally significant economic opportunities in a truly unique and historic place.
Internationally Recognized Design Team
The District of Columbia Department of General Services (DGS), on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development, awarded the design and construction of the Gateway Pavilion to Davis Brody Bond, KADCON, and Robert Silman Associates, whose individual portfolios include such internationally renowned landmarks as the National September 11th Memorial and Museum, the reconstruction of D.C.’s Eastern Market, and the forthcoming National Museum of African American History and Culture, will create.
In making their selection, panelists and jury members unanimously credited “the quality of their design and the efficacy in meeting the needs of the program envisioned for the site.” Additional notes from the selection team include:
- “It successfully creates a strong sense of place with very subtle intervention which harnesses the existing beauty of the historic resources.
- “In providing for flexible space, it uses the historic 1902 buildings as a backdrop for any event that might be held there.”
Gateway to the Fut
ure
Envisioned as the interim (5-8 years) heart of St Elizabeths East, the Gateway Pavilion will provide venues for casual dining, a farmers market, and other weekend and afterhours, community, cultural and arts events.
In addition to aesthetic design elements, the winning proposal includes recommendations for the inclusion of leading-edge sustainability improvements, such as rainwater harvesting with an underground cistern fully capable of supplying irrigation and restrooms, and recommendations for preliminary materials that include canvas, shiplap siding, grasscrete, burlap, and reclaimed wood.
Sustainability
Since infrastructure improvements are being made on the East campus, the Pavilion is designed to be one of the District’s first net-zero projects. The Pavilion will be fully sustainable and include the following features:
- Biofuel cogeneration plant utilizing spent vegtable oil to generate electricity and hot water
- Rainwater harvesting and storage cistern
- Rainwater re-use for irrigation and non-potable supply
- Self- Composting toilets, waterless urinals and low-flow fixtures
Timeline
The St. Elizabeths East team recieved final historic preservation and design approvals for the Gateway Pavilion in March 2013, and is preparing to commence construction of the Gateway Pavilion during the Summer of 2013.