Following their collaboration on the Southeast Substation, Pepco returned to CORE to design their location in Darnestown, which turned into a farmhouse style building that beautifully integrates into the suburban landscape. The Darnestown Substation presented a unique design challenge due to its proximity to single family homes and the project’s height requirements. It was critical to use a building typology that would allow for masking of the scale of the structure and making it blend in with its surroundings. CORE came up with a design that is inspired by a barn, with the use of the materials adjusted to the scale of the substation and carefully considering the location of openings on varying roof heights. The substation design was broken into three different masses. Each massing type is defined by a different roof pitch, color of material, and height. Louvered openings were provided along the second story to allow for future flexibility of the building. A silo inspired shape and gabled roof were used to break down the façade facing Darnestown Road. The various site strategies employed by the design team along with the scale-appropriate paneling of the materials as well as sizing and location of openings throughout the façades, enabled CORE to deliver a beautiful building that blends in perfectly well with its surroundings.

Photography: Ron Ngiam