Project Description
FROM THE ARCHITECTS:
Steps from Nationals Park in the reemerging Capitol Riverfront neighborhood of Washington, D.C. comes West Half—a new, 11-story mixed use development by ODA New York—which, much like ODA’s Bayside Toronto proposal, will link residents to the surrounding community in a uniquely contextual and site specific way.
The 456,000 square foot, JBG-developed project will not just serve as a visual complement to the neighboring cultural landmark; but will also, in a hallmark move by ODA, prioritize the feeling and experience of the people who will experience the building “from the inside out,” according to Eran Chen, Founder and Executive Director of ODA New York.
Discarding a more traditional form, the project’s unique mass will gradually cant as it ascends, echoing the existing gradient of Nationals Park and fostering a graceful transition between the street, structure, and stadium. This creative and subtle shift will also permit stadium views from throughout the complex, with nearly 50% of the units boasting outdoor terrace space with direct sightlines onto the field.
The increasingly vibrant pedestrian life on this major entry point to the stadium—bolstered by West Half’s two floors (61,000 square feet) of retail space—blurs the threshold between inside and outside, public and private, allowing people to participate seamlessly with the world beyond their doors in a continuous cascade of activity.
The rooftop pool will provide a welcome respite from the brilliant DC sun; as will a shaded and landscaped courtyard nestled below cantilevered balconies that line the interior of the building’s u-shaped footprint. The youthful and airy interiors promise curved elements, minimalistic details and tectonic finishes.
Firmly positioned in the sightline of Nationals Park, West Half will be televised to more than 50 million people each year during the Major League Baseball season, assuring its status as a centerpiece in the revitalization of southeast Washington, D.C.