Detailed drawings of White House East Wing ballroom expansion released
Detailed drawings of the White House East Wing expansion project have been released by the Washington DC advisory committe the National Capital Planning Commission, which included several renders of the expanded building.
The documentation includes site plans, building plans, elevations, landscape drawings and renders of the East Wing by project architect Shalom Baranes Associates, which contained further details following the studio's original submission of plans on 8 January.
According to CNN, a PDF containing design details was posted on the National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) advisory board website on 13 February, before being "swiftly" removed with no reported comment by the organisation.
Most detailed plans of White House ballroom project
The drawings picture the East Wing volume extending well into the White House lawn, or President's Park. At roughly 90,000 square feet (8,360 square metres), its footprint is more than twice the size of the previous East Wing building, which is now fully demolished.
Elevations and sections picture the building's neoclassical facade, which features Corinthian columns supporting two main porticos located at the front and side of the building.
On its second storey, which will reportedly contain a 22,000 square foot (2,043 square metres) ballroom, large arched windows run along the sides. Smaller, rectangular windows denote the lower storey, which will contain auxiliary and support spaces.
The building's main entrance is via a grand staircase tucked into the backside corner of the site, along the colonnade. Newly released landscape plans in the document detail a Mount Vernon brick pathway in front of the entry, as well as four existing East Garden trees.
Renders of the building are clearer when compared to the initial images submitted by the project's first architect, James McCrery. They are presented primarily from the side of the building as approached by Pennsylvania Avenue.
Two other renders show the bulk of the building extending into the White House lawn.
NCPC review set
From the beginning, the Trump administration has cited the need for additional space to host dignitaries and hold other events as the main impetus for the project, increasing the capacity from 200 in the former East Wing gathering space.
This most recent was submitted to NCPC for review on 11 February, ahead of a 5 March meeting where the commission is set to review the plans on a live stream.
Demolition of the East Wing began in October. The project is currently facing legal challenges, including one from the National Trust for Historic Preservation, which claims that the construction has gone ahead without proper authorisations.
The White House is largely exempt from the National Historic Preservation Act, which mandates review for projects on federal buildings and sites with historical significance.
In December, an environmental review by the National Parks Service found the environmental impacts of the project "adverse" but not "significant".
The architecture community has come out against the plans as well, with a group of AIA members submitting a letter to Baranes questioning the project's alignment with the AIA’s Code of Ethics & Professional Conduct.
The image is via The National Capital Planning Commission/Shalom Baranes Associates, Architects.
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