Capitol Crossing, Center Block

The privately funded Capitol Crossing Project encompasses approximately 2.2 million square feet across a seven-acre site elevated above Washington, DC’s underground I-395 highway. The Center Block, designed by Ennead, comprises a 150-unit residential tower and 350-key boutique hotel linked by a common podium, both of which are flanked by the development’s commercial office buildings on adjacent blocks to the North and South.

Integrating Center Block with the Capitol Crossing development, the design incorporates a north-south, publicly accessible pedestrian spine that links the adjacent blocks and creates a hub of activity for the entire development. The light-filled double-height pedestrian spine is conceived as an active interior street and town square as well as a public conduit.

The cantilevered eastern end of the residential bar, with its heroic structural pier and triple-height social space nestled beneath, serves as the focal point for the approach from the north and invites people into the public concourse from Massachusetts Avenue.

The jewel-box-like hotel massing and playful façade serve as a counterpoint to the larger scale buildings clad in taut glass curtainwall facades, creating an identifiable centerpiece within the development and the neighborhood.

The project creates a network of public and semi-public spaces through a diverse mix of programs, such as outdoor gathering spaces, food and beverage concepts, casual meeting and lounge spaces, and open lobbies. These communal spaces provide a place for the residential tenants, hotel guests, office workers from neighboring buildings, and the surrounding community to overlap and comingle, positioning the Center Block as an active hub for the greater Capitol Crossing Development.

Central to the development has been a focus on sustainable design, which has spurred the pursuit of LEED Gold and WELL certifications.

Landscaped areas have been incorporated on roof terraces at various levels to offer building occupants and visitors access to fresh air, natural light, and vegetation.