400 Florida Avenue NE

Set in the hip, smart center of the nation’s capital, 400 Florida Avenue NE is a proposed 11-story concrete frame structure that pairs a 110-unit apartment building and 150-room hotel side by side, with retail space on the ground floor. Developed by Ranger Properties and designed by SK+I, it will be the first property in the U.S. for the Paris-based brand MOB Hotels.

The project, which is pursuing LEED Platinum certification, will create a residential tower offering nearly 100,000 sf of living and amenity space and a 65,000 sf hotel tower. Two small buildings exist on the half-acre site, which is located beside Gallaudet University. Working directly for the developer, Schnabel Engineering DC (SEDC)* performed a subsurface exploration and conducted soil laboratory testing to identify the underlying stratigraphy and evaluate the geotechnical properties of the materials encountered.

Based on our findings, we recommended using spread footings founded on native soils and improved with compacted aggregate piers or auger cast piles to support the building. Our geotechnical engineering report also addressed design and construction considerations pertaining to floor slabs, lateral earth pressures and sub-drainage for below-grade walls, and site grading and earthwork, such as compacted fill sub-grade preparation and fill soil requirements, placement, and compaction.

^{*SEDC is an affiliate of Schnabel Engineering, Inc.
Rendering: © SK+I Architecture}