Washington, D.C
Adjaye Associates built community-led timber pavilion in Washington DC
Adjaye Associates has built a community-led mass timber pavilion in Washington DC, United States.
Named Sycamore & Oak, the 2,050-square-metre pavilion takes its name from its location, the corner of Oak Drive and Sycamore Drive.
Sycamore & Oak lies at the intersection of economic development, community elevation, material innovation, and planetary regeneration
Designed as a community-led mixed-use development in the predominantly black, primarily residential, and historically underinvested Congress Heights neighbourhood of Washington DC, the structure accommodates retail and food concepts that originated in the community and provides job opportunities to neighborhood residents.
The canopy shelters and shades the interior programmed spaces while circular skylights bathe the space in natural light
Adjaye Associates envisioned a mass-timber structure with an open-air layout, while featuring a spacious canopy that offers protection from the elements. The pavilion promotes a sense of intimacy or ‘community within community’ when underneath.
The pavilion is punctuated by eleven strategically positioned skylights that help to allow natural light into the interior, and programmed spaces.
The open air timber structure features gathering space and a timber panel backed stage for community events and musical performances
“This Retail Village offers wellness and entrepreneurial support services, food vendors, convening and event space, and provides a year-round community resource, retail, and cultural destination,” said Adjaye Associates.
Conceived as entirely public space, the building is comprised of two main modules and rests on an elevated plinth that becomes a central gathering and performance hall, and event venue with a viewing deck into the multiple programs activating the site from the fresh food market, education and fitness centers, retail incubators to the outdoor dining.
Mass timber columns support the roof framing above a mezzanine seating area
Designed and constructed as a kit of parts using a modular system and reclaimable joints, Sycamore & Oak serves as a model on how to nurture and promote local businesses in other underserved communities.
“We are building the community that Ward 8 deserves at the St. Elizabeths East campus. This campus is coming to life right before our eyes—a place for people to live, to have fun, to work and find new opportunity,” said Muriel Bowser, Mayor of the District of Columbia
“Sycamore & Oak is going to be a beautiful new destination for our city and an incubator for local talent,” Bowser said.
A community mural designed by Congress Heights-based artist Keyonna Jones offers a vibrant atmosphere for visitors
Sycamore & Oak lies at the intersection of economic development, community elevation and placemaking, material innovation, and planetary regeneration.
The pavilion is constructed entirely of 100% Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified wood, which is responsibly for sourced timber. The retail village is the largest free-standing structure of this nature in DC.
Designed for durability, strength, and exposure to the elements, the mass timber construction allows Sycamore & Oak to be a climate steward for a holistic future. It is a non-toxic, non-composite, durable material that facilitates fast and efficient assembly due to its simple construction techniques and standard sizing.
In a food, retail, and job desert, Sycamore & Oak is a home for local food vendors, a health-forward grocery store, and boutiques that employ and serve community residents
According to Adjaye Associates, the structure is “aimed at supporting emerging Black entrepreneurs, the pavilion provides storefronts for 13 local, small businesses.”
The pavilion’s modular design includes removable and replaceable wall panels, providing flexibility as businesses expand or move in and out. In line with inclusive development, the project actively engaged local minority-owned businesses to participate in construction and operations.
The seating area on the mezzanine level directly beneath the timber canopy is warm and inviting
The mezzanine is an elevated area with outdoor seating and planters, creating a cozy, tree-house-like atmosphere. The environmental canopy covering the structure collects rainwater and uses photovoltaic panels to generate energy, aiming for net zero impact.
Opened in 2023, Sycamore & Oak serves as the first phase of the ambitious St. Elizabeths East Parcel 15 mixed-used development.
View overlooking the ground level gathering space
Phase two will serve as the gateway to a revitalized St. Elizabeths East Campus. It will feature mixed-use commercial and retail spaces, a hospital, open public areas, and residential development, capitalizing on both public and private investments in the neighborhood.
This first-ever mixed-use development will prioritize outstanding design and local input to establish a new benchmark for affordable housing, job creation, sustainability, and community equity.
Sycamore & Oak is a vibrant focal point used for gatherings ranging from seated events, workout classes, musical performances, or holiday markets
Sycamore & Oak is designed as a temporary pavilion to encourage inclusive development and community engagement on the site for the next two to four years before being disassembled and redeployed in other historically underserved communities.
Site plan
Deck level plan
Mezzanine level plan
East Elevation
North Elevation
West Section
North Section
Adjaye Associates recently created a new home for dot.ateliers, a community-oriented and ecologically responsive destination that offers a robust space for artistic production. Adjaye Associates and Sydney-based contemporary aboriginal artist Daniel Boyd designed a black, porous canopy in Sydney, Australia.
Project facts
Architect: Adjaye Associates
Location: Washington DC, USA
Size: 2,050m2
Architect of Record: Winstanley Architects & Planners
Structural Engineer: StructureCraft Contracting LLC
Construction: HEP Construction
Gneneral Contractor: Banneker Ventures
Mechanical/Electrical Engineer: CS Consulting Engineers, Inc
Civil Engineer: Wiles Mensch Corporation DC
All images © Dror Baldinger.
All drawings © Adjaye Associates.
> via Adjaye Associates
Adjaye Associates
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Washington, D.C
‘Strong smell’ shuts down flights at major DC-area airports for the second time this month
Check out what’s clicking on FoxBusiness.com.
A reported “strong smell” at a key air traffic control center disrupted flights Friday evening at major airports across the Washington, D.C., region for the second time in two weeks.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) temporarily halted flights at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD), Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Charlottesville–Albemarle Airport (CHO) and Richmond International Airport (RIC), the agency told FOX Business in an email.
The FAA said the disruptions were due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center, which manages airspace in the region.
GROUND STOP LIFTED AT MAJOR DC-AREA AIRPORTS AFTER CHEMICAL ODOR DISRUPTS AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL
An FAA air traffic control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images / Getty Images)
It was not immediately clear what caused the smell.
Ground stops at Dulles, Reagan National and BWI remained in effect until around 8 p.m. ET before being lifted, according to the FAA’s website.
NEWARK AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS LOST RADAR, RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WITH PLANES FOR OVER A MINUTE, SPARKING CHAOS
The FAA said the disruption was due to a “strong smell” at the Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) center. (Flightradar24)
As of 8:30 p.m., Reagan National was experiencing ground delays, while BWI continued to see departure delays.
Earlier this month, a ground stop was similarly issued at several airports in the Washington, D.C., region after a chemical odor was detected at the TRACON center.
FATAL LAGUARDIA COLLISION RENEWS FOCUS ON RUNWAY INCURSION RISKS ACROSS US
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy speaks at a news conference at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. (Heather Diehl/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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The temporary ground stop March 13 similarly affected DCA, IAD, BWI and RIC, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said at the time.
Duffy said the smell came from an overheated circuit board, which has since been replaced.
One family, four generations with DC Metro
As Metro celebrates 50 years of service, one D.C. family is marking the milestone with a legacy of their own — four generations who have all worked on the system, helping keep the region moving for decades.
WASHINGTON – D.C. residents got on their first Metro train 50 years ago on March 27, 1976. Here’s a look back at the beginning.
Connecticut Avenue; NW; looking south. evening traffic-jams are aggravated by metro subway construction in Washington D.C. ca. 1973 (Photo by: HUM Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
View of the Metro Center subway station (at 13th and G Streets NW) during its construction, Washington DC, November 16, 1973. (Photo by Warren K Leffler/PhotoQuest/Getty Images)
Standing in the cavernous tunnel, planners wearing hard hats discuss the construction progress of the Metro Center subway station at the intersection of 13th and G Streets in Washington, DC, November 16, 1973. (Photo by Leffler/Library of Congress/In
WASHINGTON, DC – NOVEMBER 07: FILE, Metro construction miners and blasters on a jumbo drill outside the hole they are working on at Rock Creek Parkway and Cathedral Ave NW in Washington, DC on November 7, 1973. (Photo by James K.W Atherton/The Washin
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 4: FILE, View of the Post Office at North Capital and Mass Avenue NE, and 1st NE where subway tunnels were being constructed in Washington, DC on March 4, 1974. (Photo by Joe Heiberger/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – AUGUST 29: FILE, Workers rig a pipe at the entrance to the Rosslyn Metro Station in Washington DC on August 29, 1974 (Photo by Larry Morris/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 27: FILE, The crowd at Rhode Island Station on opening day of the Washington Metro on March 27, 1976. (Photo by James A. Parcell/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – MARCH 28: FILE, Reverend Leslie E. Smith of the Episcopal Church, right, and George Docherty of New York Avenue Presbyterian church hold a joint service at the new Metro Center station in Washington, DC on March 28, 1976. (Photo by D
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 1: FILE, An aerial view of metro construction where it crosses the Washington Channel. The Potomac River, the Pentagon and Northern Virginia can be seen in the distance. (Photo by Ken Feil/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 27: FILE, A packed train of commuters on the Silver Spring metro on the Red Line on January 27, 1987. (Photo by Dudley M. Brooks/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 4: FILE, Thousands of people press their way into the Smithsonian Subway station after the Independence Day fireworks in Washington, DC on July 4, 1979. (Photo by Lucian Perkins/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Among the liquor store, barber shop and dry cleaners at the Watergate Complex’s retail plaza, there is a new pop-up museum dedicated to the scene of the crime that toppled Richard Nixon’s presidency.
Among the liquor store, barber shop and dry cleaners at the Watergate Complex’s retail plaza, there is a new pop-up museum dedicated to the scene of the crime that toppled Richard Nixon’s presidency.
The temporary exhibit features the work of artist Laurie Munn — portraits of members of the Nixon administration and those connected to the Watergate break-in. The exhibit features members of Congress, the media and some who were on Nixon’s enemies list.
Keith Krom, chair of the Board of Directors of the Watergate Museum, told WTOP the exhibit was first featured in the gallery in 2012 for the 40th anniversary of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee.
“When she (Munn) learned about our museum effort, she offered to reassemble them as a way for us to expand awareness of the museum,” Krom said.
Krom, who lives in the Watergate, said his favorite portrait is of one of the special prosecutors, whose firing sparked the “Saturday Night Massacre” in 1973.
“I had the pleasure of being a student of Archibald Cox,” Krom said. “He served as my mentor for my third-year writing project.”
Krom said during this time, at the Boston University School of Law, he spent a great deal of time with him.
“I didn’t realize how much he must have gone through. Here he was, this one man, who was challenging the president of the United States over something pretty serious,” Krom said.
The pop-up opened in October and was recently extended to stay open until April 25. Krom said the hope is to find it a permanent location within the Watergate Complex, where they can “present the history of Watergate, but with two perspectives.”
The first would be on the building’s “architectural significance to D.C.,” he said.
“You may not like the design, you actually may hate it,” Krom said. “But you cannot deny that it changed D.C.’s skyline.”
The secondary focus would, of course, be on the mother of all presidential scandals that changed the course of American history.
“That’s where that suffix ‘-gate’ started and continues to be used for almost every scandal that comes out today,” Krom said.
The inspiration for the museum spawned from an interaction from a tourist outside the Watergate.
“He says, ‘This is the Watergate, right?’ And I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s one of the buildings,’” Krom recalled.
The tourist then asked Krom, “So where’s the museum?”
“I was like, ‘Oh, we don’t have a museum.’ And he literally just looked at me and said, ‘That’s so sad.’ And he got on his bike and rode away,” Krom said.
While the self-proclaimed political history nerd said he “still gets goose bumps” when he drives by the Capitol at night, Krom hopes that when people leave the museum, “they’ll walk away with a new appreciation for how our government works, the guardrails that are in place.”
“Maybe an understanding that those guardrails themselves are kind of frail, and they probably need our collective help in making sure they last — that’s what we hope to accomplish,” Krom said.
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