Ennead is proud to celebrate the dedication of the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, the University’s new academic home in Washington, D.C. The design, achieved through a collaboration between Ennead Architects, Rockwell Group, and SmithGroup, establishes a new paradigm for higher education facilities. The 435,000 sq-ft Hopkins Bloomberg Center will educate and train future civic leaders and serve as a bustling hub of interdisciplinary collaboration and convenings. The space is equipped with flexible, scalable spaces for learning, gathering, and public programming, adaptable classrooms to meet the needs of emerging teaching methods, a state-of-the-art theater, and an enhanced streetscape to welcome in the community.
The new facility is a revitalization of the former Newseum building. Ennead sustainably repurposed the existing building, without expanding the envelope, transforming the iconic museum into a high-rise university quad.
“As architects, it is a rare opportunity to revisit an earlier design and reimagine it for an entirely new purpose,” said Richard Olcott FAIA FAAR, Design Partner, Ennead Architects. “Ennead was delighted to work with Johns Hopkins University to transform this important site, on perhaps the most famous street in America, into the embodiment of the university's mission in Washington, D.C, and create an innovative home for learning that welcomes the wider community. Conceptually and structurally, it was a significant transformation designed to establish a progressive new identity for JHU, by opening up the building to reveal the vibrancy within and revitalizing the streetscape on Pennsylvania Avenue. We believe in the great possibilities inherent within existing buildings to have new lives, which is also the most sustainable approach.”
Learn more about the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center here.
Photo © Alan Karchmer/OTTO