08 Nov 2017
Rockwell Group's industry-inspired concert venue anchors Washington DC waterfront
BY Kim Megson
Architecture and design studio Rockwell Group have completed a 6,000 capacity music and arts venue in Washington DC, anchoring a new mile-long neighbourhood along a channel of the Potomac River.
Designed in collaboration with developers PN Hoffman and Madison Marquette, The Anthem is a 130,000sq ft (39,624sq m) space dedicated to indie and alternative music as well as conventions, art exhibitions, seminars, banquets and fashion shows.
Rockwell Group were inspired by the industrial character of the waterfront with their design. Features include exposed and weathered steel, end-grain wood, pigmented concrete floors, reclaimed brick walls, rusted metal perforated panels and antique mirrors.
The venue is embedded within a building that has residential units above and retail and restaurants surrounding the base. A glass façade serves to diminish the boundary between the inside and outside, connecting the building to its natural and built environment.
Four 60-ft tall board-formed concrete pylons frame the cube-shaped structure. A three-storey lobby marks the theatre’s striking entry, with a marquee balcony extending beyond the adjacent building façade and overlooking the water's edge.
Inside, the main hall features adjustable, circular LED chandeliers can be raised and lowered to change the scale of the room according to the event. Double slab walls lined with a metal mesh conceal four inches of acoustical foam, ensuring neighbours get a good night’s sleep even when a performance is taking place.
The Anthem, which was officially opened by the Foo Fighters earlier this month, is located in the heart of The Wharf: a new development which, when complete, will feature more than three million square feet (914,400sq m) of new residential, office, hotel, retail, cultural, marina, and public spaces, including waterfront parks, promenades, piers and docks.
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