655 New York Avenue NW

Washington, DC
11 Storeys
General Contractor: James G. Davis Construction
Developer: Douglas Developments
Architect: Shalom Baranes Associates
Pro-Bel services provided: Design, Engineer, Manufacture, Supply and Install, Load Testing

Modernist glass building with a monorail system and horizontal lifelines in Washington, DC

Located in the Mount Vernon Historic District by the Washington Convention Center, this office and retail space is an ingenious mix of historic buildings and a modern addition of a sleek glass mid-rise. The building’s defining features are the seamless integration of historic structures with the new, the curvilinear façades, and an interior atrium.

Pro-Bel Technical Solution

While the exterior of the building required a somewhat simple system; however, the interior atrium required a much more complex system that provided suspended access to the interior elevations that span the entire height of the building. The interior atrium design consists primarily of a monorail track system with motorized trolleys. In addition to the eight (8) monorail tracks, the atrium includes a Horizontal Lifeline System (HLL) and safety wall anchors for safe access. On the building’s exterior, a safety wall and 2 Horizontal Lifeline (HLL) systems provide fall protection on various roof sections at roof levels 2 and 4.