VIKA's Sustainable Design Experience

VIKA works closely with owners, architects, and developers to incorporate sustainable design into the site design, landscape architecture, and civil infrastructure of all our projects.

The careful integration of site design with other team members — Landscape Architects, Geotechnical Engineers, Geothermal/Solar/Energy Modelers, Low Impact Development consultants, Mechanical Engineers, Planners, and Environmental Consultants — are critical to this sustainable site design process. We work hand-in-glove to provide sustainable solutions to all design situations and to provide economical, buildable, and durable design.

VIKA has provided LEED consulting services on dozens of projects. Three (3) projects — Merrifield Town Center in Fairfax County, 1812 North Moore Street in Arlington County, and Southeast Federal Center - The Yards in the District of Columbia, are among a handful of projects in the nation that have been accepted into the LEED Neighborhood Development Pilot Program. In addition, VIKA had provided consulting services on Sidwell Friends Middle School, the first LEED Platinum-rated K-12 school in the country and first LEED Platinum-rated building in Washington, DC.

Read about our Sustainable Design Philosophy

1812 North Moore Street – LEED Platinum-Certified 30-story Office Building
(Rosslyn, VA)

VIKA is providing surveying, civil engineering, and landscape architectural services for this redevelopment project that will have more energy-efficient features than any other building in the Commonwealth of Virginia. When completed it will be the first to earn the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED Platinum Certification which requires buildings to meet strict energy, environmental, and recycling requirements.

Merrifield Town Center – Mixed-use Development
(Merrifield, VA)

VIKA is providing planning, surveying, engineering, and landscape architecture services for The Merrifield Town Center, a 21-acre project mixed-use development with significant open space. It will include two parks with open spaces and designated areas for neighborhood events, performances and festivals, and 1.8 million square feet of community-serving retail, hotel, office, and a mix of residential, including affordable, workforce and market-rate housing. The low-impact design for the project is environmentally friendly and a responsible development feature that will improve the quality of life for the entire community. VIKA is providing full site engineering design of the project in multiple phases.

Sidwell Friends
LEED Platinum-Certified School Building
(Washington, DC)

VIKA has provided surveying, civil engineering, and landscape architectural services related to several projects on their Bethesda campus. Our project work included the renovation and 39,000 square foot addition to its Middle School. Sidwell Friends is the first LEED Platinum-rated K-12 school in the country and the first Platinum-rated building in Washington, DC. It was honored in 2007 as a Top 10 Green Project award winner from the American Institute of Architects. The site design includes on-site constructed wetland that treats wastewater for reuse in the commodes and cooling towers and reduces municipal water use. Site features also include a green roof and outside bioretention that reduces stormwater runoff and improves the quality of infiltrated runoff.

1310 Calder Road
First Carbon Neutral House in the Region
(McLean, VA)

As demonstration of dedication to the practice of sustainable design and innovative green strategies and techniques, VIKA partnered with West*Group, Greenspur, and other leading firms on the first “carbon-neutral” house in the region. The goal for this project was to create an environmentally responsible home that fit into the close-in McLean, Virginia community. This 4,000 square foot craftsman-style house is a showcase for how energy efficient design and renewable energy systems can come together to create not only an environmentally friendly home, but also a beautiful place to live. This project was a new approach to sustainability by combining more efficient building design, innovative technology, and smart locations to reduce carbon emissions. The project also includes geothermal system for heating and cooling, a solar hot water system, and photovoltaic panels and wind turbines to generate on-site electricity.

visit www.co2freeliving.com for more information

Southeast Federal Center - The Yards
(Washington, DC)

VIKA is providing surveying and civil engineering services for Southeast Federal Center – The Yard’s infrastructure, master planning, and several individual building parcels. Our services include three sets of infrastructure construction plans, including 320,000 square feet of roadway over approximately 40 acres, overlaying zoning districts, and coordinating floodplain mitigation and floodwall design with the construction company.

The Yards is among a handful of projects in the nation that have been accepted into the LEED Neighborhood Development Pilot Program. It includes 1.8 million square feet of office space, 2,800 residential units, 160,000-350,000 square feet of retail space, and a 5.5-acre riverfront park. Rezoned through the entitlement process, much of this site was added to the National Register of Historic Places and includes six (6) historic structures.

VIKA also provided façade surveying services to field located all features along all window locations as part of the complete renovation of the historic Pattern Joiner Shop (Building #160). We developed a complete set of “as-constructed” plans that was utilized by the architect for re-design of the building.

Since the site surrounds the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority pumping station and is bordered by the Anacostia Navy Yard, it presented us with many design challenges. We designed all roads leading to and access points surrounding DCWASA’s existing facility and all of the new public streets.

The Yards is among a handful of projects in the nation that have been accepted into the LEED Neighborhood Development Pilot Program.

VIKA was awarded the Washington Business Congress Craftsmanship Award for our work on the infrastructure of this project.