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Architects
William McDonough + Partners and Quinn Evans|Architects -
Location
American University, 4400 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest, Washington, DC 20016, USA -
Design Mechanical Engineer
Taylor Engineering -
Mechanical Engineer Of Record
GHT Limited -
Structural Engineer
McMullan Associates -
Civil Engineer
Delon Hampton & Associates -
Daylighting Consultant
Loisos + Ubbelohde Associates -
Leed Consultant
Sustainable Design Consulting -
Fire Code And Suppression Consultant
PEG -
General Contractor
Whiting-Turner -
Client
American University -
Area
75000.0 ft2 -
Photographs
Text description provided by the architects. How can we design a building that inspires students to dream? This charge— articulated by the dean of the country’s largest foreign service program— guided the design team for this new building on the American University campus. Serving as a symbol of the school’s tradition of global service, the anticipated LEED Gold certified building provides a vibrant setting for teaching, research and public dialogue.
Design strategies, including on-site generation of renewable energy, Cradle to Cradle material specifications, and abundant fresh air and daylight, were developed and prioritized in close collaboration with the School’s students, faculty and staff to serve as pedagogical tools capable of demonstrating the highest degrees of environmental responsibility.
The sunlit atrium provides a welcome meeting place for the School and its visitors as they work towards social justice, the eradication of poverty, and world peace. Global connections are celebrated on the building exterior as well, where the pattern of the perforated frieze is inspired by the Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion map of the world.
