Drivers on Route 355 might see two new buildings flanking the main tower of National Naval Medical Center campus in Bethesda in a few years, according to a concept design initially approved Thursday by the National Capital Planning Commission.
As a result of military Base Realignment and Closure, the National Naval Medical Center will expand to absorb the personnel and services lost by the impending closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Northwest Washington. The Bethesda facility’s new name will be the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
“The proposed design is the product of requested analyses and modifications aimed at minimizing the visual impact of the proposed work on the historic buildings and landscapes of the medical center,” said Ellyn Goldkind, architect and community planner for the National Capital Planning Commission. The proposed changes to the property include construction of a new six-story building of 533,000 square feet, and construction of a four-story addition of 157,000 square feet on either side of the 20-story main tower, which is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“This proved to be the most advantageous location with regard to programmatic and operational requirements of the facility,” Goldkind said. “[It] also serves to revitalize the ceremonial front door of the new Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.”
The four-story building will contain a new emergency department, an expanded imaging and tertiary care facility, and 50 intensive care unit beds. The six-story building will host an ambulatory care pavilion, outpatient services, physical and occupational therapy, and a rehabilitation facility.
The concept design also calls for renovation of 261,000 square feet of the existing medical facility.
All NCPC members approved the concept design, except one member who abstained because he objects to moving Walter Reed operations out of the District and into the suburbs.
NCPC’s recommendation said potential environmental effects of the project could include “traffic and parking, hazardous materials and waste, construction materials and methods, energy sources and emissions.”
