600 Fifth
Structural design services for the repositioning of the existing Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) headquarters building in the Penn Quarter District.
Lead Contact
Project Details
Merit Award, Building Renovation over $75M, 2025 SEA-MW Excellence in Structural Engineering Awards
Winner in Miscellaneous Metals Category, 2025 Washington Building Congress Craftsmanship Awards
Overview
The former eight-story WMATA headquarters in Washington, D.C.’s Penn Quarter district is being repositioned into a cutting-edge, Class-A office building featuring outdoor terraces and green spaces. Expanded vertically by three floors, the building will offer nearly 400,000 square feet of office space and 20,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
For this project we are providing structural design services to Kendall/Heaton Associates, working in collaboration with design architect Pickard Chilton. The repositioned building is prominently located across from the National Building Museum and sits above existing and operational Metro train tunnels. The existing cast-in-place concrete structure has been retained and is being upgraded and expanded to attract new commercial tenants.
Highlights
- The existing roof and penthouse roof slabs were removed, and three new occupiable floors are being added to the top of the building.
- The structural scope included extensive modifications to the existing post-tensioned floor slabs and enlargement of concrete columns to accommodate new two-story retail spaces.
- A system of tuned braced frames was provided to upgrade the existing structure’s lateral system while minimizing impacts on the existing pile foundations.
- We also worked with Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers to develop a load test program for the existing piles to justify using higher foundation capacities.