The project: Carlyle Crossing consists of three residential buildings atop a podium building with retail and parking encompassing the project footprint. The five-level podium including an approximately 85,000-sf grocery anchor tenant (Wegman’s), 129,000-sf of other retail space, and 1,590 parking spaces.

Design approach: IMEG was involved at the very beginning of the project to review site constraints so that the building could be designed efficiently to maximize the buildable area. This involved having a good understanding of the city’s expectations for the road/street designs, BMP/SWM requirements, and potential utility conflicts.

Challenge: Meeting the city/state BMP/SWM requirements in an urban development. Solution: IMEG first looked to maximize the green infrastructure in the streetscape design. Due to the amount of utility conflicts and high existing storm inverts, the team decided to install four BMP tree wells along Stovall Street, then analyzed the building’s design to see how much level 1 and level 2 green roof could be incorporated to meet the BMP requirement and also help meet the SWM requirements (without having to install a detention vault). IMEG then looked to install a MTD to treat the remaining impervious area to meet the City’s WQV requirement. IMEG also decommissioned an existing sandfilter.

Challenge: Due to the large amount of anticipated deliveries, the loading dock was an important part of the project, but there was no ideal place to have trucks backing in/out to a public road. Solution: IMEG worked closely with the architect to design an internal loading dock that allowed for WB-67 trucks to enter the building and turn around to access the docks inside the building.

Challenge: Limited space in the ROW to accomplish the city’s goals of the street section, sidewalks, and shared-use path. There was no room to expand further to the north due to the land owned by WMATA. Solution: IMEG coordinated with an adjacent project (WMATA office building) that was in progress being designed by others.

Challenge: Time consuming approval process. Solution: The team planned out the approval process ahead of time and met regularly with city staff to keep the project on time. The team kept everyone involved and up-to-date. IMEG’s knowledge from past projects helped prepare for any potential pitfalls in the process. The timing of the dry utilities installation was important to begin before construction of the site, so a separate grading plan was prepared.

The outcome: This project was a huge success, delivered on time and to the owners satisfaction. It is one of the largest green roofs in the region (about two acres) that has not only been a benefit from an environmental standpoint, but also to the owner and residents. Even with the complexity and size of this project, IMEG navigated the city’s rezoning and approval process. Though COVID occurred during construction, the project continued and adapted to the new work environment. Additionally, IMEG’s knowledge of the property and pre-construction investigations enabled the team to minimize the amount of unknowns that occurred during construction. Any issues that did arise were resolved quickly due to close coordination with he contractor.