WASHINGTON, DC — Executives from Columbia Property Trust were joined by general contractor DAVIS Construction, architecture and design firm Hickok Cole, construction firm Katerra, and a group of trade partners to celebrate the official topping out of 80 M Street’s three-floor mass timber vertical expansion.
The project will add 105,000 s/f of light-filled, boutique-style space atop Columbia’s existing Capitol Riverfront office building. Once completed in 2022, it will become DC’s first commercial offices to rely primarily on mass timber and glass, as well as the first overbuild in the nation to utilize mass timber as its main design element.
“The mass timber expansion at 80 M will soon house DC's most unique creative office space. We are indebted to our project team and trade partners for their dedication in helping us advance to the next phase of construction on schedule,” said Patrick Keeley, senior vice president - DC region lead at Columbia Property Trust. “As the first in the District to employ this sustainable, cutting-edge building technique, our project has certainly captured the imagination of a wide range of local developers and builders who have asked to tour the project site in recent months.”
More than half of the expansion will serve as the American Trucking Association’s new headquarters. The remaining 55,000 s/f of office space created via the expansion remains available for lease. Columbia is also adding a new penthouse lounge amenity and an outdoor terrace for the benefit of all tenants in the building.
Working with Hickok Cole, Columbia designed the overbuild in ways that would enhance productivity, health and wellness for the building’s occupants. The mass timber’s biophilic design will produce 15-foot ceilings and 12-foot windows – a combination that brings double the amount of light penetration possible in a standard DC office space – and 4,000 s/f of outdoor amenity space will further elevate the occupant experience. To create a seamless exterior aesthetic and a pop of color, the existing eight-story brick façade will be accented with terracotta tiles and painted metal exterior elements.
Over 1,380 tons of mass timber sourced from the forests of the Pacific Northwest and Eastern Canada were utilized for the project.