Letter
Dear Mr. McGill:
In its meeting of 18 February, the Commission of Fine Arts reviewed the concept design for the perimeter security fence, gates, and guard stations for the Department of Homeland Security Headquarters on the St. Elizabeths Hospital West Campus. The Commission approved the concept with several recommendations for further development of the design.
The Commission members emphasized the importance of relating the proposed interventions to the historic design of the campus, including the historic landscape as well as the architectural context; they noted that the submitted design does not adequately document the relationship of the entrance complexes with the landscape. They requested a more developed and comprehensive landscape plan, commenting on the underdeveloped design including, for example, single lines of trees along large expanses of asphalt, and the unclear logic of proposed tree locations. They supported the approach that the architecture of the gatehouses be more informed by the historic context, commenting favorably on the design of the new pavilion at gate 1. For gates 4 and 5, the Commission commented that the proposal to replicate the architectural vocabulary of the gatehouses from the adjacent U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters may inappropriately confuse these ancillary structures with the actual entrance of the new building.
The Commission looks forward to reviewing the final design proposal. As always, the staff is available to assist you with the next submission.
Sincerely,
/s/Thomas E. Luebke, AIA
Secretary
Michael McGill
Special Assistant for Regional Coordination
U.S. General Services Administration
301 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC 20407-0001
cc: Thomas Mozina, Perkins + Will Architects