page_title: Constitution Center (Washington, D.C.)
section_title: Renovation
hierarchical_section_title: Constitution Center (Washington, D.C.) / Renovation
caption_attribution_description: English: Looking south at a Metro bus pulling up next to an exit of the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station in Washington, D.C., in the United States. This exit is located on the south side of D Street SW between 6th and 7th Streets SW. It rises from below the Constitution Center office building.
context_page_description: Constitution Center is an office building located at 400 7th Street SW in Washington, D.C. It is 140 feet high and has 10 floors. Covering an entire city block, it is the largest privately owned office building in the District of Columbia. Current tenants include the Federal Housing Finance Agency and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. As of February 2014, Constitution Center was worth $725.8 million, making it the most valuable taxable property in the city.
context_section_description: In 2006, Nassif Associates announced a $220 million renovation of the building and renamed it "Constitution Center". SmithGroup was the architectural firm overseeing the redesign, and Davis Construction oversaw the construction.
  The renovation included some of the highest security features of any building in the D.C. area. They included a central and perimeter security system; closing of the central plaza of the building, which, along with other changes, increased its interior footage by 80,000 square feet (7,400 m²); steel-jacketed underground parking garage columns capable of withstanding a powerful explosion; six fully staffed security screening points; concrete blockades built into the façade; communication, potable water, and utilities contained in blast-proof spaces; ventilation shafts for the parking garage in a secure area; and special security procedures to obtain access to the building's critical systems. The security enhancements made the office building suitable for all federal agencies with the exception of the United States Department of Defense. The 700,000-square-foot (65,000 m²) underground parking garage contains 1,500 spaces.
  Several amenities were also added to the building. These included a 10,000-square-foot (930 m²), 400-seat auditorium on the courtyard/plaza level; a six-room, 11,000 square feet (1,000 m²) conference center which can accommodate meetings of 10 to 500 people; a full-service cafeteria on the plaza level, with access to the courtyard; and a fitness center for 100 people.
  The exterior of the building was also radically changed. The celebrated key visual feature of the building, its exterior vertical white marble ribbing, was completely removed after it was found to be bowed from age and weather. Although this fundamentally changed the nature of Durrell's building, there was almost no public outcry. It was replaced by an energy-efficient, all-glass facade. Perhaps the most significant renovation feature was the structure's use of a chilled beam HVAC system, which uses chilled or heated water circulated in strategically placed columns in the interior space to cool and warm the building. To test the efficiency of the chilled beam technology, the system was installed in the penthouse of the building and tested for a full year. The architect agreed to use the system after the test outperformed specifications. The installation represented the first large-scale use of the chilled beam technology in the United States. Other energy-saving enhancements included motion and daylight detectors to turn lights off when not needed, and special exterior windows which automatically dim to prevent daytime heating. The building's ventilation system was also upgraded. The renovation left the structure with 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m²) of interior space. The final cost of the renovation was pegged at $250 million.
  Some aesthetic improvements were made as well. The building now features a 1 acre (0.40 ha) park in its open-to-the-sky central courtyard. Most of the courtyard's concrete was removed and trees, shrubs, and flowers planted to absorb rainwater. The park, which is now no longer accessible by the public, also includes a very large granite abstract art sculpture ("Legacy") by Richard Deutsch. The sculpture is meant to reflect the original facade of the building by Edward Durrell Stone as well as the memory of David Nassif, Sr. and his son, David Nassif, Jr. The L'Enfant Plaza Metro station still has an entrance under the building on D Street SW (although this entrance closed between October 2007 and July 2008 for the building's reconstruction). The renovation installed artwork by internationally-known artist Stephen Knapp near this entrance, in which strong beams of light are passed through dyed glass to splay brightly colored patterns on the ceiling. The light sculpture, titled "Transformation", symbolizes the building's renovation and rebirth.
  The Constitution Center is registered with the Green Building Council for Gold LEED Certification.
  The renovated Constitution Center won two awards. Th
caption: Entrance to the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station on the north side of the newly renovated and renamed Constitution Center
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