PROJECT  Max Robinson Center, Whitman Walker Clinic

LOCATION Washington, District of Columbia, US​

ARCHITECT Winstanley Architects & Planners

CLIENT Redbrick LMD

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM George Eisenberger AIA, Michael Winstanley AIA, Leejung Hong LEED AP, Lisa Hobbs AIA, Jamie MacNichol AIA, April Pilcher

LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT Lee and Associates
CONTRACTOR Davis Construction

ENGINEERS
SK&A DC
Wiles Mench Corporation
RG Vanderwiel Engineers
RG Vanderwiel Engineers

PHOTOGRAPHER Anice Hoachlander

CONSULTANTS (if applicable)
Hartranft Lighting Design (Lighting)

PROJECT COMPLETION DATE  5/1/2023

PROJECT SUMMARY
Whitman-Walker envisions a society where all people are seen for who they are, treated with dignity and respect, and afforded equal opportunity to health and wellbeing. Whitman-Walker has been part of the fabric of the local DC and national community as first responder and care-provider for those living with HIV; a leader in LGBTQ care and advocacy; a research center working to discover breakthroughs in HIV treatment and prevention science. The Max Robinson Center is a LEED Gold, 116,000 gsf facility, located in Ward 8, as the newest addition to the Whitman-Walker health care system.

The design approach for this project started with an analysis of the entire site also referred to as Parcel 17 of the St Elizabeth’s East redevelopment. The decision to locate the structure at the far western portion of Parcel 17 was determined based on several factors including making this project the gateway building the campus, creating a new public park for the community and the unique shape of the site. The narrowness of the western portion of the site gave us challenges that were solved by creating a plan in which the core is offset to maximize the utilization and efficiency of the floor plate.

The final parti focused on the two distinctive sides of the site. One side publicly facing and the first view of the gateway to the campus and the other side facing the interior of the campus with a gentle curve as it aligns with the street. The campus is an historic site with 19th century brick building fabric. This project expresses on the public side a series of grided panels as a metaphor for windows into the site and on the side facing into the campus we embellished the soft curve with glass and the signature lighting expressing a more emotive image relating to the services and population that Whitman-Walker serves.

JURY COMMENTS (if applicable)

For this project, we recognized the rigor and elegant proportions of the red brick exterior.

IMAGES – CAPTIONS & CREDITS

Image 1  View from corner, Anice Hoachlander
Image 2  View from the Corner, Anice Hoachander
Image 3  Lobby, Anice Hoachlander
Image 4  Gateway to St. Elizabeths Campus, Anice Hoachlander
Image 5  Facade detail, Anice Hoachlander
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MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF