Kramer provided program and construction management services for the redevelopment of the 1.4 million SF Nassif Building. Formerly the US Department of Transportation headquarters, the 10-story structure featured four identical quadrants surrounding a courtyard, and occupying the entire city block at 7th and D ST SW. The property was transformed into a Class A, ISC Level IV office building and re-branded Constitution Center.
Constitution Center
Location
Washington, DC
Size
1.4M SF Office | 1500 car parking garage
Transformation of DC’s Largest Private Office Building
Originally designed by Edward Durrell Stone in the 1960’s for David Nassif Associates, the Nassif Building was the largest privately owned office building in Washington DC. At 1.4 million S.F. with a 1500 car parking garage, the building has approximately 2 million square feet. Forty years later, the Nassif family’s General Managing Partner, contacted Kramer to serve as their program / project manager to guide the project through the extensive re-positioning process.
The Nassif Building is an existing ten-story structure with four substantially identical quadrants surrounding a large courtyard which in total occupies an entire city block at 7th and D Streets with approximately 1.4 million square feet of office space, along with three levels of underground parking (over 15 acres) providing parking for approximately 1500 cars.
The building is located in Southwest DC was in the area where the Redevelopment Land Agency created “superblocks” in the 1950’s and 1960s. This created the opportunity for David Nassif to develop a large building, which became attractive to government agencies. At the time when the programming phase for the redevelopment began, the complex was under lease to the US General Services Administration for use as the headquarters of the DOT.
The program called for the redevelopment of the building as Class A office space meeting at least a LEED Silver certification and exceeding ISC Level IV security standards, which meant that the work would be extensive so it was determined that building would have to be vacant before construction could begin.
The renovation of the base building was planned to be a 31 month project. The scope was established to include a tear down to the concrete structure, new exterior skin, the addition of space (primarily on the Plaza Level) including a new 350 seat auditorium, a new HVAC system with a state of the art Chilled Beam system, a new mechanical penthouse, extensive security upgrades to the site and building, loading dock expansion and improvements, new and refurbished elevators, new tenant lobbies and cores, a complete redesign of the courtyard, and the creation of new main entrances with visitors and employees lobbies. The site work included infrastructure upgrades, new utilities for water, electric, sewer, and storm water management, street realignment, new curb and gutter, streetlights and traffic signals, sidewalks and landscaping.
Pre-Construction
Finding the Right Team – A Design Concept Competition
The Owner agreed that the best way to find the architect with the right fit was to solicit firms to participate in a paid competition. Kramer developed a solicitation process for the competition and invited several architectural firms to submit a concept design in exchange for a stipend. Based on the submissions, we selected three firms to work with or a period of several months to develop the concepts they submitted. At the end of the collaboration period, SmithGroup DC was awarded the base building modernization commission. Other project partners were selected in collaboration with the architect by an RFP process managed by Kramer. The team was assembled and the design proceeded, with specialty consultants added as needed during the project. A similar RFP process for the Construction Manager resulted in Davis being selected for pre-construction and ultimately was also awarded the GMP contract.
Demolition Phase
Considering the Project Size, Logistics Was a Priority
With the major players in place, the phased documents were being delivered and it was time to begin demolition. The existing façade was clad in Italian marble that had been deteriorating over the years and it was determined that it had to be replaced. Thousands of tons of marble were removed from the building which took much of the one-year demolition period, then it was brought to a facility in a continuous truck caravan to be re-purposed into landscaping stone. Considering the size of the project, logistics always had to be apriority and the now demolished courtyard was used as a staging area to receive the removed construction materials until the trucks could take it away. Considering the project’s sustainability goals, all the materials that were removed had to be sorted and staged so they could be recycled. At times, the debris in the courtyard was several stories high.
Construction
Innovation and excellence are important to results
Given the size of the structure and the amount of curtain wall to clad both the exterior of the building facing the street and the interior facing the open-air courtyard, the curtainwall was a significant effort. The selection of the vendor was managed by Kramer’s RFP and evaluation process, resulting in the selection of Enclos. The architect, curtainwall consultant and Enclos all worked collaboratively to design the most energy efficient curtainwall that also met the criteria of the blast resistant-design. Again, logistics played an important role in managing the receiving, staging and installation of the 2 story curtain wall sections as they were delivered according to a meticulously crafted schedule.
“The expertise, dedication and enthusiasm embodied by Kramer was instrumental to the success of the project. Your team was a positive force in creating a collaborative partnership for all project stakeholders. The professionalism and creativity exhibited by your organization contributed significantly to completing this complex, fast-paced project at a quality level that far exceeded our expectations.”
All other major materials were selected by the owner, Kramer and the design team through an extensive selection process which included visits to Europe, the mid-east as well as multiple trips to other foreign and US destinations. The selected HVAC is a chilled beam system which was innovative at the time, especially in the US, therefore we visited factories and installations in Europe to better understand the technology and to learn what it could do in this climate. When the chilled bean installation was complete, it was the largest of its kind in the United States. Selection of materials, innovation and excellence were all important drivers for the ownership and the team.
Green Space, Art and Amenities
The Extras that Make a Difference
One of the most astonishing aspects of the redevelopment was turning a functional hardscape outdoor space into a courtyard garden enjoyed as a wellness space for office tenants. The lush one-acre garden has paths to explore with benches along the way, a soothing fountain with café tables and chairs, and an important granite sculpture representing the building in its former life.
David Nassif Associates funded a program for art, which resulted in the commissioning of two pieces. The courtyard granite sculpture, and a dichroic light sculpture which creates dancing images of light that changes with the sun throughout the day. The light sculpture serves as public art welcoming visitors to the Constitution Center entrance to the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station.
In addition the owner wanted to include other interior amenity spaces to enhance the tenant experience. The largest is the construction of a new 350 seat auditorium which also provides an architectural feature for the courtyard, an adjacent conference center, a large full service cafeteria, and a fitness center.
A Legacy Project
Kramer is proud to have represented the owner to guide this significant project through its transformation from the Nassif Building to Constitution Center. Having advocated for our client every step of the way, we provided up to ten on site team members throughout all phases of the project.
This iconic project is currently leased to several large government agencies and other related tenants. It stands out as a transformational project for both this firm and the community it serves. Tenants include Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, the Federal Housing Finance Agency, and General Services Administration. The building is also occupied by the Federal Trade Commission, National Endowment for the Humanities, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Administration for Strategic Preparedness & Response, and National Endowment for the Arts.
