Georgetown's $136M Project Tops Out

WASHINGTON, DC-Construction on Georgetown University’s $136-million Southwest Quadrangle Project has topped out two years after work began, according to the development’s contractor Clark Construction Group. The multi-structure, 860,000-sf endeavor is part of the educational institution’s goal of accommodating more students and faculty in living and working spaces as it enters its third century.

Southwest Quadrangle involves four major development components, the largest of which is the connected three-building residence hall that will ultimately accommodate as many as 800 students. The 315,000-sf housing facility will allow the campus to increase undergraduate on-campus living accommodations from 75% to 90%. A four-story, 64,000-sf building designated for the university’s Jesuit community is another facet of the development. This structure will include public meeting space, private living areas and a chapel. Finally, an 81,000-sf dining hall is included in the project, as is a four-level, 400,000-sf parking garage capable of accommodating 780 vehicles and a ground-level bus maintenance area.

Clark began work on Southwest Triangle in 2002 and, Clark spokesperson Elizabeth Tuico tells GlobeSt.com, “The project was one of our largest concrete jobs ever.” Working on a 3.5-acre plot of land, the company utilized 50,000 cubic yards of concrete and 8.4 million pounds of reinforcing steel. “Our schedule required many weeks of concrete placement well in excess of 1,000 cubic yards per week,” Clark concrete superintendent Chuck Watts says. “We met this challenge, casting more than 2,000 yards in some weeks.”

On top of the massive amount of work required for the project, those involved in the on-site portion of the task have to adhere to strict noise and traffic guidelines stipulated by the Georgetown community. “Now that the concrete and steel frames are complete, we will have to enclose the structures and finish the interiors,” Tuico notes. “We expect to finish the project sometime next year.”