​“We saw so much unrealized potential in this rooftop.  With DC’s height limitation, a ten-story building is  rather unique—it feels like a skyscraper.”

—Erik Wyche, Senior Associate at OPX

Beginning in 2017, DC-based design consultancy OPX embarked on a monumental project for long-time client AARP—a complete restack of the organization’s headquarters in Washington, D.C. After completing the ground-up renovation of each of the 500,000-square-foot building’s ten floors, attention shifted to the building’s aging roof. Erik Wyche, who served as a project architect and project manager on the AARP headquarters transformation, saw this full roof replacement as a key opportunity to activate some of the building’s most valuable yet underutilized space.

“We saw so much unrealized potential in this rooftop,” describes Wyche. “With D.C.’s height limitation, a ten-story building is rather unique—it feels like a skyscraper. And in this particular building’s location with prime views of the Capitol and the Washington Monument, we thought it was so important to completely rethink this occupiable rooftop space and make it a multifunctional destination for people—big enough and with the flexible amenities needed to comfortably host events ranging from a large internal meeting to a casual evening cocktail hour.“