The new facility for the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University unites students, faculty, staff, and researchers under one roof, fostering collaboration and a dynamic academic community.
Designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA), the 150,000-square-foot building on the Capitol Campus in Washington, D.C., includes 20 classrooms, a 400-seat auditorium, a spacious main commons, and a 280-seat rooftop venue. These features, paired with sweeping views of the U.S. Capitol from a landscaped terrace, position the school as an epicenter for policy discourse.
Previously located on the university’s historic Hilltop Campus, the McCourt School of Public Policy’s new home at 125 E Street NW seamlessly extends Georgetown’s presence into downtown Washington, D.C. An interplay of stone, panelized metal, and glass curtain walls harmonizes with the form and scale of its surrounding structures. Its façade, accented by vertical fins and brise-soleil to reduce sun exposure and enhance thermal efficiency, features projecting lines reminiscent of the uniform punched windows on the neighboring 500 First Street NW.
Designed for connectivity, the McCourt School integrates closely with adjacent buildings and green spaces within the Capitol Campus. A skybridge on the sixth floor links the school to a suite of convening and conference rooms in 500 First Street NW. Meanwhile, a landscaped promenade from the second floor crosses an existing structure and descends via a grand stairwell, providing convenient access to a public green space.
“The architecture of the McCourt School’s new building balances its place within two overlapping contexts: a well-defined urban university campus and downtown Washington, D.C. The building reads like an extension of the Capitol Campus, while also animating the pedestrian experience,” explains Graham Wyatt, partner, RAMSA.
The McCourt School designed to meet LEED Platinum.
Inside, a “traveling staircase” weaves through the nine-story facility, encouraging chance encounters among occupants and exemplifying the school’s mission to resist hierarchies and foster a non-siloed academic environment.
“The McCourt School aims to draw students, faculty, staff, researchers, and the larger policymaking community together through its architecture,” says Kevin Smith, partner, RAMSA. “It is an appropriately modern home for a globally renowned policy school in the U.S. capital.”
Original installations by Maya Lin bring life to the building's interior spaces. Renowned for her large-scale environmental art and installations, including the iconic Vietnam Veterans Memorial from the early 1980s, Lin has created a collection for the McCourt School titled Mapping Our Place in the World. These works encourage occupants to reflect on their sense of place and their connection to the broader environment.
The collection features Following the Potomac, a ceiling-mounted artwork composed of glass marbles that mimics an aerial view of the Potomac watershed. In the main commons, the installation Whether Birds includes weather-responsive pendant lights that shift in color based on conditions like sunlight, clouds, snow, or rain. Complementing these visual elements, audio recordings of nearby waterways, forests, wetlands, and grasslands play through directional speakers above the central staircase, capturing the sounds of nature throughout the year.
Lin’s contributions extend to the building’s rooftop design as well. The Sky Garden is a tranquil outdoor space adorned with elliptical pools and native vegetation, including birch trees, pitch pines, ferns, and grasses. This rooftop retreat provides an inviting setting for quiet reflection and conversation, celebrates the region's ecology, and offers striking views of the U.S. Capitol.
A 400-seat auditorium with broadcast capabilities and a 280-seat rooftop venue are designed to host leading figures in national and international policy discussions. The facility’s proximity to the U.S. Capitol and other key institutions underscores its role as a nexus for influential dialogue.
