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One Hawaii

Washington, DC

Building better housing for DC families

One Hawaii affordable housing community along a tree-lined street in Washington, DC’s Fort Totten neighborhood.

Project Overview

One Hawaii is a new affordable housing community on a redeveloped site in Washington, DC’s  Fort Totten neighborhood. Developer Wesley Housing set out to expand access to resilient, sustainable, and healthy housing, and the development project more than doubled the site’s housing capacity from 34 to 70 affordable apartments.

SWA guided the project team with sustainability, energy efficiency, commissioning, and LEED consulting services. Our consultants served as technical advisors focused on delivering a building that will exceed performance targets well into the future. From restoring critical building enclosure details that had been removed through value engineering, to troubleshooting advanced mechanical systems, we helped solve challenges throughout design, construction, and startup.

The project team took a highly collaborative approach that resulted in a building that exceeded expectations. For instance, One Hawaii achieved enhanced compartmentalization for reduced unit air leakage beyond baseline requirements and earned additional LEED recognition for exceptional airtightness, efficiency, and occupant comfort.

SWA helped position the building for long-term performance and resident comfort through commissioning, startup support, and operator training. This process ensured that complex building systems could be successfully transitioned from construction to day-to-day operation.

Overall, One Hawaii demonstrates that affordable housing can achieve the same high-performance standards often associated with market-rate developments.

Photo credit: Anice Hoachlander

Project Team

  • Owner / Developer: Wesley Housing
  • General Contractor: DAVIS Construction
  • Mechanical Contractor: Titan Mechanical

Building Details

  • Affordable housing for families
  • Completed in 2026
  • More than doubled site housing capacity to 70 homes (previously 34)
  • DC Green Building Act project
  • All-electric heat pump heating, cooling, and ventilation systems
  • Integrated green roof and solar photovoltaic array

SWA Services

  • LEED Certification and Sustainability Consulting
  • Energy Modeling
  • Air Leakage Testing
  • Commissioning
  • Building Operations Training
  • Ongoing Performance Support

Learn more >>

Certifications

LEED logo

LEED v4 BD+C: Multifamily Midrise Platinum

Our Work

Protecting Building Performance

As construction progressed, critical elements of the building’s compartmentalization strategy were modified through value engineering. SWA worked with the project team to identify the potential impact of those changes and develop solutions that would preserve the building’s performance goals while maintaining constructability.

Through ongoing collaboration and field verification, the team implemented a successful air-sealing strategy that ultimately exceeded project requirements. Final testing demonstrated performance approximately 30% better than the project’s LEED airtightness target. The building performed so well that it earned an additional LEED point for enhanced compartmentalization. This will also improve comfort, indoor air quality, and energy efficiency for residents.

Supporting a First-of-Its-Kind Heat Pump Installation

One Hawaii was among the first projects in the region to utilize a heat pump dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS). While the technology offered efficiency and electrification benefits, the project team encountered operational and startup challenges as the manufacturer continued refining system controls and sequences of operation.

SWA worked with the owner, contractor, and manufacturer to troubleshoot performance issues, review control strategies, and help ensure the system operated as intended. Our technical guidance helped the project become an early adopter of an emerging heat pump technology while maintaining confidence in the building’s long-term performance.

Optimizing Building Systems for Reliable Operation

During commissioning and startup, SWA worked with contractors and vendors to identify and resolve operational issues affecting several building systems, including ventilation controls and equipment sequencing. Beyond startup, our consultants supported building staff through training, operational verification, troubleshooting, and ongoing performance discussions to ensure systems functioned as intended after occupancy.

This post-construction support bridges the gap between design intent and day-to-day building operations. This work will also help the owners reduce risk and maximize the value of their investment.

Testimonials

“It was great to have partners like DAVIS Construction and Steven Winter Associates. Everyone was collaborative, smart, on top of things, and caring, which made it easy to navigate a complicated, detailed process. I was consistently impressed with the attention to detail and follow-through.”

—Grant Koehl, Project Manager, Wesley Housing

“We had a very positive experience working with Joe [Andracchio, Principal Mechanical Engineer] and the Steven Winter Associates team. They taught us a great deal about the LEED process, building envelope testing, and unit testing, and provided a helpful lunch-and-learn. It was a very successful partnership.”

—Abram Haitjema, Quality Manager, DAVIS Construction

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