Faircliff Plaza East

Faircliff Plaza East is located on 14th Street in the Columbia Heights neighborhood of Washington, DC. Our team was able to draw on ECA’s 40 years of affordable housing and green design experience to deliver comfortable, high-quality housing for the District’s most disadvantaged residents. A mix of local, private, and federal funding included requirements for advanced levels of sustainability, which led to the project being designed to meet both Passivehaus and LEED Platinum standards. Although Passivehaus mandates less glass compared to a standard building, our team was able to avoid a “punched window” appearance by designing a thoughtful pattern of projecting brick pilasters and metal mullions, giving the façade a level of complexity and refinement unusual in an affordable development. The building incorporates 125 one, two and three-bedroom deeply affordable units, replacing 80 garden style apartments currently on the site. Those units include replacement units for all former residents, who have been temporarily re-housed until construction is complete. Resident amenities include a community room, rooftop patio, and lush courtyard with children’s playground.