J Street at
George Washington University
Washington, DC
J Street is a new food court in the renovated Marvin Student Center. Instead of providing another 600-seat cafeteria, the design broke down the dining area into seven themed restaurant venues. The design team worked closely with the university and ServiceMaster, the contractor for food services, to create several themed venues. By previewing the desired architectural character in the form of images and signage, the client and operator could appreciate the final outcome and make creative contributions to the effort. The university provided the sources for most of the playful venue names and also undertook the effort of gathering the photographic materials. The food service operator in turn departed from the standard menu and also created exhibition kitchen arrangements that emphasized food freshness and quality.
The strong conceptual design gives each space its own distinct identity with an attention to detail that broadens the appeal to the University community, while attracting the public to what is no longer perceived a student facility.
Scott Butler was Project Architect while with D'AIQ Architects.
