DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Car Barn Training Center
WASHINGTON, DC
ZGF DESIGNED THE 30,013 SF, TWO-STORY CAR BARN TRAINING CENTER (CBTC) TO HOUSE DISTRICT DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (DDOT) OPERATIONS, TO PROVIDE A MAINTENANCE FACILITY FOR THE CITY’S STREETCAR FLEET, AND TO ESTABLISH A CENTER FOR WORKFORCE TRAINING WHERE STUDENTS AND RESIDENTS CAN LEARN THE TECHNICAL SKILLS FOR NEW TRANSIT JOBS.
The facility includes a control center, three maintenance bays and a wash track, administrative office and support space, a staff lounge and locker rooms, as well as two flexible training rooms that double as community meeting space. A terrace and green roof, shaded by an array of photovoltaic panels, is accessible from the mezzanine level and offers views spanning from the H Street Corridor to the Anacostia River and beyond. 102
CBTC’s architectural and urban design achieves compatibility with its historic context—an educational campus built for African American students during segregation—through a contemporary application of compatible orientation, massing, and materials. On the interior, a light palette, large windows, and north-facing sawtooth skylights allow daylight to flood the facility and fill interior spaces, creating a bright and pleasant workspace. Designed to exceed LEED Silver®, CBTC incorporates sustainable strategies including grass tracks, permeable pavements, stormwater collection, native plantings, sunshading, and daylighting.