Weeks from opening its doors, Carey’s new D.C. location at 555 Penn takes shape

With two months until classes begin, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School’s new D.C. location at 555 Penn is an extraordinary new home for modern collaboration and impact. And with a focus on sustainability, it’s already making a difference.

Sustainable construction
555 Penn is a 410,000-square-foot renovation of existing space. Of the 20,000 tons of material crews removed from the building, nearly 97 percent was recycled. That includes the 150 tons of temporary steel trusses that supported the building during the demolition phase. The 6,400 cubic yards of concrete were produced with CarbonCure technology, recycling 25 lbs. of carbon dioxide for each cubic yard. The resulting carbon sequestration translates to 76.4 acres of forest for one year.

Complementary design
Because it’s in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol, 555 Penn has impressive neighbors, including the National Gallery across the street, whose East Wing façade uses a stone called Tennessee pink marble. So the designers for 555 Penn went to the same quarry to source the same stone—more than 1 million lbs. of it—all hand-selected and arranged in front of the building.

State-of-the-art configuration
In 555 Penn’s learning spaces, flexible furniture and open seating maximizes the opportunity for collaboration. In the building’s 38 classrooms, this means comfortable capacity for up to 80 persons. The raised floors in the classrooms are strategically designed to hold power and data cabling for the building’s technology, including remote-learning tech. In the 375-seat theater, 237 seats will have power- and USB ports, and each of the building’s 450 lockers includes a power source to charge phones, laptops, tablets, and other devices.

More than just a place to learn
555 Penn is a place where performance matters in and out of the classroom. The theater stage, which has enough room for 30-piece orchestra, also features a sprung floor, which absorbs shocks to allow for dance performances. The interior space is modified, elevating the acoustic quality to Kennedy Center-levels.

Like the Kennedy Center, the aesthetic isn’t complete without a terrace. 555 Penn has a terrace on levels 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9, offering spectacular views in addition to prime gathering space. And because students, alumni, staff, and faculty are welcome, the location also offers a fitness center, a café, and a library.

Carey’s first forays at 555 Penn
Faculty and staff will begin moving in the next few weeks. Orientation for D.C. students is scheduled for August 21, and classes begin one week later.

The forward-thinking 555 Penn location is the result of a Johns Hopkins University construction team with more than 90 years of experience between them, making it the latest effort to combine innovation with expertise at America’s first research university.