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Architect: Davis Carter Scott/Pickard Chilton Joint Venture

Owner: Crescent Reality

General Contractor: James G. Davis Construction Co.

Precast Erector: PEN Contracting

This project consisted of two buildings connected by a three-story garage/atrium building. This LEED-Platinum project is located in Crystal City (Arlington), VA over what used to be the old rail line depot and is now the headquarters for the Environmental Protection Agency.

The building was clad with 210,000 square feet of architectural precast including 110,000 square feet of brick-faced (soap brick) precast. A soap brick is a real brick that is cut in half and cast into the panel (in lieu of using a thin brick). While this is more costly than using thin bricks, it does provide a much more “real brick” appearance. The brick panels were aggressively panelized to create window units in lieu of a stick built panelization. The panel joints were hidden nicely within the rowlock bonding pattern. The traditional precast was equally difficult. The finish was a buff acid-etch and the profile were dramatic, practically the upper cornice.

This was far from an easy project, but one that everyone at Arban & Carosi is very proud to have completed.