News

Congratulations to Temi Fasusi on her promotion to Project Manager

Congratulations to Kumi Wickramanayaka on her promotion to Project Architect

We took time to gather for an International Potluck that included foods from Sri Lanka, the Philippines, Poland, Germany, India, South America, Sweden, Nigeria, Jamaica, and the US. It was a tasty feast and a wonderful way to spend time together.

The 801 Men’s Shelter won the Chesapeake Shores Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors: Excellence Award for the Institutional ($25 to $100 Million) category in its 2022 Excellence in Construction competition!

The new St. Elizabeths East Men’s Shelter replaced the existing homeless shelter at 2700 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue in the Ward 8 Anacostia community located in Southeast Washington, DC. The Design-Build team consisted of Coakley & Williams Construction, in a joint venture with Blue Skye Construction. Thirty DC CBE’s worked on this project, as well as 280 District residents. This DC Department of General Services (DC DGS) project is unique because of its Historic and community aspect. The shelter provides 380 beds daily with a mission to develop a building that supports the health and wellness of the local community. The unique, three-winged design features 85,600 sf that includes a multipurpose room, health care clinic, and large kitchen that can be used for culinary learning, a teaching barbershop, clothing boutique, and computer center. These areas were intentional for developing retail training, barbershop training, and varying levels of professional development to provide further opportunities for homeless people to gain work and life experience.

We enjoyed having over 50 students from Mississippi State University School of Architecture visit us today. Thanks to Professor John Poros for allowing us to share our experiences with your students. We look forward to seeing some of them soon as interns!!!

The 801 Men’s Shelter won the 2022 Community Leader- Judge’s Choice Award for USGBC National Capital Region. According to the judges, “ This project was the one that the jury spoke and discussed a lot about especially the community engagement process and the impact on the society.”

Carl Skooglund Accepting Award

Accepting the award on behalf of our team are Carl Skooglund, Project Manager and Krutika Shah, Project Manager. Carl and Krutika were instrumental in overseeing this complex project and coordinating the LEED Gold effort with the entire team.

We are so honored to receive this recognition! From the beginning when our firm eagerly sought to design this new shelter, our intent was to create a unique place of hope that provided dignity to those who desperately need it.  Our entire portfolio is dedicated to our mission of “Design Empowering People” to transform communities. This shelter represents our belief that design can make a difference for its residents and for the environment. The incredible effort by many of our staff and the terrific partners we worked with demonstrates that anything is possible.

Project Team:

Owner – DC Department of General Services & DC Department of Human Services

General Contractor – Blue Skye Construction and Coakley & Williams Construction

Architect – Wiencek + Associates Architects + Planners, Inc.

Civil & Landscape – Wiles Mensch

MEP Engineering – WB Engineers+Consultants

Structural Engineering – Tadjer Cohen Edelson Associates

Code and Safety – Koffel Associates, Inc.

Kitchen – Nyikos Associates, Inc.

Sustainable Design – Sustainable Building Partners

USGBC National Capital Region’s Community Leader Awards celebrate excellence in high-performance, healthy design and building, environmental stewardship, and community impact, and serve to highlight the green building initiatives of USGBC NCR community projects, businesses and local members. They recognize building owners and project teams for their extra effort to accomplish LEED certification for their buildings, and they honor the people who are working to create better buildings and better lives for all in the DC metro area.

Kumi was honored as “Volunteer of Year – Prince George’s County” along side Lauren Gray at the Neighborhood Design Center – Annual Awards and Volunteer Celebration 2022! The Neighborhood Design Center seeks to help engage community residents to envision safer, more active, and equitable environments for all. Kumi has a passion for engaging with the community to make a recognizable impact and we are incredibly proud that she was recognized for her efforts.

Student Housing Business awarded Parkside College Park with the Best Turnaround and Value Add award.

The Mayor of DC and our development partners, Victory Housing, Brinshore Development, and Bank of America CDC, all celebrated the opening of Spring Flats. This transformative project includes the renovation of the historic Hebrew Home into affordable, senior housing, plus the new construction of a mixed-income mid-rise, and for-sale townhomes.