Adaptive Reuse/Repositioning

Built in the 1970’s, 200 Stovall was your typical 13-story, cast-in-place, conventionally reinforced, office building with a bland metal panel exterior skin and an interior forest of columns spaced 20’-0” on center.  Succumbed by the lackluster office market, the building was converted into a high-class residential tower (810,000 sf), fitting 525 residential units and 236 parking spaces with minimal demolition, foundation work, or column removal.

Using structural steel, an additional four floors were added to the existing concrete-framed building.  The vertical addition increased the lateral load on the existing concrete moment framed structure.  Vertical concrete shear walls and steel moment framed were post-installed at the lower floors to resist these additional lateral loads.  New openings in the second, third, and fourth floors were required for a new parking ramp.  To reduce weight, structural steel was used for the framing of these elements.  To modernize the exterior, the existing office-style metal panel façade was removed and replaced with a precast concrete panelized system with thin-set brick. 

Built in 1957, this former printing facility was a five-story building that included a basement level over pile foundations.  In the early 2000’s, the building was renovated to house a telecommunications firm, which was never occupied.  Floors were filled in on all levels and structural column modifications existed on some floors.

Completed in 2012, the building was converted to office space for occupation by various DC Government agencies.  The lowest level was converted to parking and a new two-level parking garage was constructed adjacent to the existing building on the east side.  Lateral stiffness of the building was enhanced using steel braced frames installed before removing the existing precast façade.  New elevator shafts and interconnecting stairs were framed at existing floor plates. Structural services also included the evaluation of existing structural elements for new loading, green roof evaluation and local strengthening.

The project has received the highest level of LEED certification–Platinum, as well as numerous awards of recognition.

Complete restoration and conversion of a circa 1910 steel and concrete-framed 11-story office building (including one basement level) into a residential apartment building.  Historic restoration activities included modifying floors constructed of terra cotta flat arches with concrete fill, and rehabilitation of the multi-wythe brick façade.  The façade materials also included stone at the lower levels and terra cotta at the uppermost levels.  Several columns were removed in the basement to facilitate parking.  Hydraulic jacks were used to pre-deflect six new steel transfer girders at the ground floor used to replace the columns.  Stairs were reconfigured throughout, terraces added to the roof, and two vehicular elevators added to access the below-grade parking.

The project was awarded the 2009 Outstanding Project Award for Excellence in Structural Engineering by the Structural Engineers Association of Metropolitan Washington. 

Major renovation and retrofit of the former Department of Transportation headquarters into a Class “A”, LEED Gold office building that exceeds GSA’s current Federal Office Building Standards and meets ISC Security Design Criteria.  Access to the subway is provided through the L’Enfant Plaza station, at D Street, SW.  The existing building was gutted down to its structure, which was salvaged and completely renovated to include replacement of the building façade and reconstruction of all service cores.

Amenity spaces were designed with a basic 30-ft. column grid to align with existing column spacing, with long-span designs considered for future tenant options.  Enhanced physical security measures exceed ISC Level IV, and include progressive collapse mitigation and blast-resistant building envelope, anti-ram barriers along the building perimeter, blast-resistant loading facilities, and common security checkpoints.

The modernized building boasts sweeping views of the city, a fitness facility, 400-seat cafeteria, and a major conference center.  The facility received Mid-Atlantic Construction’s 2010 Project of the Year Award in Renovation/Restoration.

SK&A also provided structural steel inspection; weld testing using ultrasonics for welds of the column steel jackets during construction; laboratory testing of concrete cylinders, mortar and grout tests, sprayed fireproofing testing and engineering supervision.

SK&A has performed structural engineering services on numerous projects for Kaiser Permanente, including its 168,000 sf medical office headquarters in Silver Spring, a new medical office building in Manassas, VA, the Regional Laboratory facility in Rockville, and the Silver Spring Data Center 2.

• For the regional laboratory, an existing two-story medical office building was adapted for reuse as a laboratory facility.  The structure has concrete masonry unit (CMU) load-bearing walls supporting a steel bar joist and steel-framed roof and floor deck.  Sections of the 2nd floor and roof were strengthened to increase their load carrying capability, to suit laboratory and library usage, and to handle new roof-mounted equipment.  The project also included a new building addition at its northwest corner, and several new in-fill elevated floor areas.  The existing first floor of the building was demolished and lowered in its entirety to accommodate access flooring.  Existing masonry walls were structurally modified, and new openings incorporated into the walls.
• In addition, since 1994, SK&A’s Repair and Restoration Division has provided engineering services on over 50 Kaiser projects including garage repair, expansion joint replacement, load evaluation, supplemental equipment support framing designs, façade repair, and general structural condition assessments.  SK&A also provided design and field inspection of a rooftop transfer girder installation, facilitating the removal of a ground level column in a conference room at the East Jefferson facility.