Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC) Headquarters
Housing Opportunities Commission (HOC)
The Housing Opportunity Commission of Montgomery County will be relocating from their existing headquarters in Kensington, Maryland to a new building to be constructed on the corner of 2nd Avenue and Fenwick Lane in Silver Spring, Maryland.
The new headquarters for the Housing Opportunity Commission of Montgomery County will be an 82,000 s.f. ground up building containing various public and private spaces. It will be located at the corner of 2nd Avenue and Fenwick Lane in the heart of Silver Spring Maryland.
On the first floor a public, two story, lobby welcomes visitors and provides direct ground level access to the customer service center where citizens can get assistance with housing. A grand stair connects to the public hearing room on level 2 and its pre-function space which overlooks the lobby below. A roof terrace on level 9 connects office amenity space with the views of the surrounding neighborhoods and allows for public functions indoors and out. Between the roof terrace and lower level public functions sits 6 levels of office space with corner conference rooms expressed with large areas of glass on the building’s exterior.
The building’s exterior is clad with a Terra Cotta rain screen with colors relating to the surrounding neighborhood. Steps and setbacks in the building’s composition, allow for the perceived scale to be reduced along the street and allows more daylight into the adjacent buildings. The ground floor lobby and hearing room also are expressed with a transparent glass façade to be welcoming and filled with daylight.
The building is targeting net zero designation and features green roofs to collect rainwater on all visible roof surfaces. Sustainable materials will be utilized both inside and outside the building.
Both the building and its occupants will be a welcome addition to the urban fabric of downtown Silver Spring. Completion is targeted for the end of 2023.
