Clark Completes 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW

April 28, 2009

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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Clark Construction Group has completed the construction of 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW, one of the closest commercial office buildings to the U.S. Capitol and Senate office buildings. The 10-story, 255,000 square-foot building is connected to the neighboring Acacia Building at 51 Louisiana Avenue, NW, by a dramatic, nine-story glass atrium.

The first Washington, D.C. office building designed by renowned British architect Lord Richard Rogers, the building's unique floorplan cantilevers eight feet over New Jersey Avenue, allowing for unparalleled views of downtown Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Capitol. 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW, also features floor-to-ceiling windows, six levels of below-grade parking, and numerous sustainable elements. The project is seeking LEED® Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. 

The building's defining characteristic is the nine-story glass atrium spanning the lobby, connecting it with the Acacia Building. The atrium is braced by boomerang trusses at the ceiling and a bright yellow structural steel "tree" which houses much of the atrium's mechanical systems. A glass elevator runs along the tree in the center of the atrium. Several elevated platforms and walkways cross the atrium at different heights, linking the two buildings' interior spaces. Law firm Jones Day, which occupies the Acacia Building, will be leasing several floors of office space at 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW.

Construction of 300 New Jersey Avenue, NW, included challenging excavation and foundation work. The narrow footprint was complicated by underground proximity to a Washington Metro tunnel and the Tiber Creek. Excavation for the parking garage reached 60 feet below grade and 39 feet below the existing ground water level. Clark Foundations devised an intricate shoring system mimicking a bathtub to successfully perform the necessary excavation and foundation work.