Location
Arlington, Virginia
Client
Arlington County Department of Environmental Services
Contract Value
$32,000,000
Square Feet
55,000
Year Completed
2013
Schedule
21 months
Key Partners
- Arlington County
- DCS Design
Awards & Certifications
- Achieved LEED Gold for new construction, surpassing its original target of LEED Silver
- ULI Washington Real Estate Trends Award for Excellence in Housing Development
- NAIOP Northern Virginia Award of Excellence, Category: Best Building, Build-to-Suit Institutional Facility over $20 Million
- DESIGNArlington Award of Excellence
- WBC Craftsmanship Award, Category: Curtainwall
- WBC Craftsmanship Award, Category: Windows and Storefronts
Overview
HITT was the general contractor for the five-story Arlington Mill Community Center and two-level underground parking garage that boasts 279 spaces. Located in one of the most diverse areas of Arlington, the community center is part of the county’s overarching effort to accelerate the revitalization of Columbia Pike into a sustainable and walkable urban-style environment. Every space in Arlington Mill was programmed to encourage learning and foster community, from the open lobby atrium with dual entrances and reception areas to the open game room and teen lounge, which overlook the full-size gymnasium.
The site was very challenging because the bordering streets were not level to each other, the trapezoidal configuration of the property and the site’s adjacency to Four Mile Run Natural Resource area and highly populated residential area.
These conditions were mitigated through siting of exterior elements, particularly using the atrium lobby as a transition between the street and plaza entrances, resourcefully redesigning the adjacent roads and using a pile-driven retaining wall to both expand the roadway and protect the tree save area.
Another challenge was the incorporation of the affordable housing component, delivered by a different general contractor, into the design. This required early delivery of the garage podium and strategic coordination of more than 300 cast-in-place, steel embeds and sleeves for the future building and above-garage plaza. This decreased the amount of staging space and required a higher level of safety, security and equipment logistics while the community center tower was under construction. Not only does the center provide community recreational and learning opportunities, the glass building envelope creates a highly visible civic presence that will serve the Arlington County residents for years to come.