Washington’s Entertainment & Sports Arena has received a notable honor, achieving LEED Gold certification.
The arena opened last year and is a state-of-the-art hybrid of an NBA training facility, WNBA home court, entertainment venue and community amenity. The 4,200 seat arena serves as the home court for the Washington Mystics and practice facility for the Washington Wizards. The Wizards G-League team, the Capital City Go-Go also uses the arena for its home games. This facility has already proven to provide a much-needed boost to on-going redevelopment in the District’s Ward 8 community, spurring greater opportunities for residents, and helping to create more “pathways to the middle class” as part of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s series of initiatives to create economic opportunity across the nation’s capital.
The project features green roof areas, onsite stormwater retention systems, and energy-efficient systems. Additionally, the project has a powerful community outreach and engagement story. Events DC developed a CBA in partnership with neighboring residents that supports educational resources for youth, creates local business opportunities, and provides community enrichment activities. Touted by D.C. officials as “bigger than basketball” the project was estimated to generate 300 permanent and 600 construction jobs, and is part of an ongoing redevelopment that will transform the 180-acre St. Elizabeths campus into a thriving mixed-use community. Additional features that contributed to the certification include access to public transportation, a dedicated area for collection and storage of recyclable materials, use of materials with recycled content, and use of regional materials. Points for innovation in design, community outreach, and involvement were also instrumental in the award.
The project has achieved numerous accolades to date, including selection as The DC Building Industry Association’s 2019 Community Impact Award, Washington Business Journal’s 2018 Game Changer Award, and one of Washington Business Journal’s Best Real Estate Deals of 2018.
Michael Marshall Design is the Associate Architect, in collaboration with Detroit-based ROSSETTI. (Construction: Smoot/Gilbane JV; LEED: EcoImpact Consulting)
Exterior image by Brad Feinknopf. Interior image courtesy Events DC.