Marymount’s New Ballston Center Continues to Earn Design Awards

Arlington, Virginia – Marymount University’s new Ballston Center continues to gain recognition, earning a Design Arlington Award for Excellence, which was presented by County Board Chair Jay Fisette on Dec. 19. This comes on the heels of recognition last month by the NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.

During a slideshow at the Recessed County Board Meeting, the complex earned praise in the New Construction, Institutional/Civic Category.

“This dynamic new place to live, work, play and learn enhances the University’s visibility and identity in Ballston’s mixed-use community,” the judges wrote. “The development extends pedestrian and bicycle circulation west of Glebe Road, new street-facing retail, and both indoor and outdoor spaces for specialized academic programs and social activities.”

Ballston Center was also recognized with an Award of Excellence at the annual dinner of the Northern Virginia Chapter of the NAIOP on Nov. 16 at the Ritz-Carlton, Tysons.

That event, attended by some 800 people, celebrated significant new and renovated contributions to Northern Virginia by the commercial, industrial and mixed-use real estate community. The Ballston Center earned its accolade in the “Build-to-Suit Institutional Facility” category.

“These honors reinforce the fact that, as we anticipated, the Ballston Center is judged to be world-class,” said Marymount President Matthew D. Shank. “The fact that it’s getting such validation for the external design and look and feel of the building is just fantastic.”

The $75 million multi-use complex opened in August. LEED Gold Certified, it is comprised of a nine-story academic/office building and The Rixey, a 12-story residential/retail building, each boasting multi-level underground parking. The complex is anchored by a public plaza and the Reinsch Pierce Family Courtyard.

The Shooshan Company led a group that included architects Gensler and SK&I; Clark Construction, HITT Contracting, landscape architects Studio 39, and Avison-Young, leasing agent for the top three floors of office space at Ballston Center’s academic facility.

NAIOP Northern Virginia is comprised of nearly 950 members. NAIOP is the leading organization for developers, owners and related professionals in office, industrial and mixed-use real estate, with 15,000 members in North America. It seeks to advance responsible commercial real estate development and advocates for effective public policy.

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Marymount University’s new Ballston Center continues to gain recognition, earning a Design Arlington Award for Excellence from Arlington County and an Award of Excellence from the Northern Virginia Chapter of the NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. The $75 million multi-use complex opened in August.