Project Description
The Collective is an ensemble of 3 building phases that comprise the entire city block between I and H Streets and between New Jersey Ave and 2nd Street in SE Washington DC. The Agora and the Garrett, phases 2 and 3 are the work of SK+I. The block is at the northern edge of the burgeoning neighborhood redevelopment around the Nationals baseball stadium, Canal Park, and Navy Yard. The Collective takes its name from the idea that, amongst the 3 buildings, the residents have access to the different amenities that are offered in each of the phases, totaling over 100,000 sf of amenity. With many different venues that cater to many tastes, the Collective offers something for everyone.
The Agora is the second phase of the Collective and occupies the north face of the block against H Street and the elevated 695 highway. Aspects of the program and site are significant form givers to the building; a 40,000sf neighborhood grocery and the fact that the site fronts the elevated 695 highway.
A Whole Foods grocery occupies the ground floor and boasts outdoor dining at its New Jersey Ave entry. Above the grocer is situated amenity space looking out on New Jersey Ave and 2 floors of parking for the grocer along the H Street frontage. The parking here provides daylighted parking for the grocer and mitigates any residential units looking directly into the highway. Residential units occur above the parking, as the now 4th floor is above the adjacent roadway and no longer negatively impacted by views into the side of the highway bridge structure. Residential parking lies underground below the grocer.
The units are unusual in that they are all loft like apartments. The parking and grocer operate on a 30-foot column grid. Residential units typically operate on a 24-foot column grid. Rather than propose a transfer slab between the 2 systems, the 30-foot grid was extended up into the units. The loft-like units allowed the client team to provide a distinction in their offerings.
The building language is, in part, a response to the 1-695 location as 77,000 vehicles utilize the highway on a typical day. That is a lot inconvenient traffic to be sure, but that is also a lot of eyes on the building. The 2-level amenity and parking levels are outlined with a white frame and contain wall space for the signage for the grocer. This large-scale white box constitutes a kind of billboard for the building as well as for the grocer. The tall visual base also allows one, from the vantage point of the elevated roadway, to have the interpretation that, what occurs above the base is a building is sitting at the highway level.