That which could have turned into "another drab stretch ... of bureaucratic architecture" has become what Washington Post architecture critic Philip Kennicott has called "a rare example of urban jazz" in the District of Columbia. The project team behind Midtown Center demolished four buildings (including the Post's one-time headquarters) at night and erected a hip duo of 14-story, copper-clad towers accented by three enclosed bridges mounted over a 10,000-sf pedestrian way/courtyard. Bureaucratic architecture, be damned! Credit developer Carr Properties for being hip enough to: 1) give up 50,000 sf of density to create the courtyard; 2) resist the temptation to build yet another mundane box, and 3) commission a nimble-fingered combo to orchestrate the work: Clark Construction (GC), SHoP Architects (designer), WDG Architects (AOR), and SK&A Structural Engineering. Together, they charted a LEED Gold riff of 786,000 sf of office space 44,000 sf of retail, and a 32,000-sf penthouse. The location couldn't be sweeter: Midtown Center is just a short stroll to the White House, two Metro stations, and the K Street power corridor. Clark brought in Oldcastle BuildingEnvelope as design-assist partner with ShoP Architects on the curtain wall. Along with glass manufacturer Tvitec, they created a distinctive glass enclosure with copper louvers that cuts solar glare by 50% and solar heat gain by 18%.
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