National Education Association Headquarters, Washington DC
Architect: Geier Brown Renfrow
The
National Education Association (NEA) headquarters is located on 16th Street in
downtown Washington, DC just a few blocks north of the White House. In the early
1990's, the NEA was housed in five contiguous but distinctly separate
structures. Each building had its own entry and circulation systems, and there
were no above grade connections between the buildings. Moreover, each building
had its own HVAC, power, lighting and plumbing systems.
The goal and accomplishment of the NEA project was to combine the five generations of structures to allow the entire square footage to efficiently function as one as seamlessly as possible. Serving as a focus for the combined building was the development of a central atrium in space that was originally rear courtyards for the various buildings. In the revitalized NEA headquarters building, the atrium space serves to integrate the entire building by providing a source of sun-controlled daylight for inward offices not directly facing 16th or M Streets. The base of the atrium serves as a cafeteria and "environmental oasis" not only for NEA employees but also for workers in nearby buildings and visitors.
The atrium contains several key design elements that were developed by William Bobenhausen, FAIA and his firm. The exterior courtyards became an enclosed atrium through the construction of a new north wall that serves as a major design element, which also bounces and distributes natural light. In effect it is a large, eight story high vertical "light shelf".
The top of the atrium was enclosed by a series of seven linear saw-tooth skylights. On the first six skylights (from the southern edge of the atrium) operable airfoil shaped louvers were mounted above the sloped south-facing glazing. The louvers are controlled by a photocell to minimize the conduction of solar heat into the atrium while also bouncing and reflecting softened daylight throughout the atrium. During the colder months, the louvers rotate and close shut at night to reduce heat loss through the roof of the atrium.
A subtle design decision was made to not install louvers on the northernmost saw-tooth skylight. This is because the angles of direct sun that enter through this last skylight fall on the north wall of the atrium rather than anywhere on the floor. The north wall thus serves to diffuse the light year-round while also serving as a design element that marks the changing of the seasons.