Mixed-Use Residential Building In Foggy Bottom Neighborhood Achieves LEED Silver With Multi-Material Facade

Boathouse is a mixed-use residential building in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood in Washington, DC. The site has been repurposed numerous times, adapted from a Howard Johnson hotel to George Washington University (GWU) student housing for nearly two decades. The property was most recently purchased by Urban Investment Partners from GWU for $35 million to develop the site into rental apartments.

Renamed “Boathouse,” the development included an extensive renovation and new construction to accommodate 250 residential units and a contemporary rooftop recreation area that features a pool, outdoor bar, green roofing system, and fitness center. Additionally, the building contains 5,000 square feet of ground-level retail space.

The architects at WDG Architecture describe, “The building transformation combines all the elements you would expect in a Class A Washington, DC apartment renovation: a contemporary new facade with an interesting use of color and materials, best in class units and amenities, and a spectacular roofscape with unparalleled 360-degree views of the Nation’s Capital.”

For the building’s contemporary façade, aluminum composite material was specified in three distinct colors: Thunder Cloud Gray, Funky Green, and Silversmith installed by CJ Coakley Co Inc. CEI Materials fabricated the panels utilizing the team’s customizable R4000 Drained/Rear-Ventilated Rainscreen Panel System. This system offers rain screen technology with varying joint widths and color versatility. This customizable system is tested to ASTM 283, ASTM 330, ASTM 331, and AAMA 509-09 and is NFPA 285 Compliant.

The building is set to achieve LEED Silver certification status.