801 East Men's Shelter

Nestled in the historic St. Elizabeth’s Hospital campus, this flagship homeless shelter project is the first in Washington DC designed to accommodate a variety of discrete support programs: a daytime service center, dormitories (365 beds total) dedicated to overnight “low-barrier” stays, working individuals, seniors & the medically frail, those needing respite care, and a health clinic.  The accessory amenities include a multi-purpose space, dining room, laundry, showers, social service consultations, computer lab, salon, and donated clothing boutique.

Project Team

Owner: DC Department of General Services (DGS) and DC Department of Human Services (DHS)

Architect: Wiencek + Associate Architects + Planners Inc

General Contractor: Blue Skye Construction- Coakley Williams Construction JV (BS-CWC)

Civil/Landscape: Wiles Mench Corporation

Structural: Tadjer-Cohen-Edelson Associates

MEP and FP: WB Engineers + Consultants

Sustainable Design Consultant: Sustainable Building Partners

Kitchen: Nyikos Associates Inc

Code and Life Safety: Koffel Associates Inc

Health and Wellness: Throughout building construction, there are many materials that can be hazardous to human health including formaldehyde, carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic chemicals (VOCs), dust, ozone, and fine particulate matter. Reducing indoor air contaminants has significant human health benefits and typically improves occupants’ comfort, lowers absenteeism, and increases productivity.

For 801 Men’s Shelter, indoor air quality testing was completed that analyzed the indoor air for these contaminants. All of these contaminants were either not detected or were below the acceptable threshold. This is a testament to the careful planning, design, construction, and implementation of 801 Men’s Shelter and all team members involved. 

Social Equity: The Department of Human Services (DHS) of DC is responsible for the health and well-being of DC’s vulnerable residents. The mission of this organization is to provide essential services to the local community, such as childcare, food, and healthcare assistance. The Permanent Supportive Housing Program (PSHP) provides permanent housing and supportive services to individuals and families experiencing homelessness to ensure housing stabilization, maximum levels of self-sufficiency and an overall better quality of life.

801 Men’s Shelter was created in an effort to support health and job placement of the local community.

·       Jobs:  There are training kitchens for developing culinary skills, boutique training, and varying levels of professional development.  The general contractor has established a Resident Workforce Program (RWP) where future residents of the shelter have the opportunity to receive specialized training and become employed.

·      EMBODIED CARBON:  

The 801 Men’s Shelter project incorporated design features and optimizations that reduced the embodied carbon emissions. These primary features include:

Cement Replacement: The concrete mix designs used in the proposed building utilized a higher supplementary cementitious material (SCM) content compared to the baseline building.

·       Exterior Wall Insulation: The exterior wall insulation used in the proposed building was changed from XPS to a mineral wool board in order to reduce the impact of the project.

·       Material Reduction: The concrete footing and foundation size could reduce the total material used, while maintaining functional equivalency.