District Architecture Center

The District Architecture Center, also known as the DAC, is located in the Penn Quarter neighborhood. The place serves as the headquarters of the Washington Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and is partnered up with the Washington Architecture Foundation organization. Open to the public, you can stop by to see exhibits, films, workshops, lectures, and other various events listed on their calendar. I attended a reception here, and while the space is small, the gallery-​like setting is great for more of an intimate type of an event. Staff at the front are super friendly and nice, and all you are required to do is to sign-​in. There are some limited metered parking on 7^th, but free after 6:30 PM, if you can find a spot! :D
+offers exhibits, films, workshops, and lectures
+limited metered parking on 7^th; free after 6:30 PM

Very cool place for meetings and educational sessions. Easy to access.

The District Architecture Center (DAC) was not our original venue for our wedding, but since we had some issues with original one, we booked DAC. And we’re really, really happy we did! We had also been there for a NYE party, so it was easier to envision how the space could be transformed. Lighting is key to transforming this venue. We had some décor, but we didn’t allocate a lot of our budget on that, but instead concentrated on lighting, some pipe and drape, and flowers to balance the modernness of the venue. The result was a gorgeous, modern, yet intimate wedding. The rooms on the main floor have glass walls that can be pushed to the side, for an open floor plan. When one room is being set up however, you can close the glass walls and pull down the shade if you don’t want your guests to see when tables, chairs are being moved around. You get a lot of value for what you pay for this venue, as you can use the chairs, tables, projectors and other furniture that are already there. Keep in mind it’s an architectural center, so the quality of chairs and couches they have is pretty high-​end. We were lucky that there was an ongoing exhibit of paintings on the lower floor, the colors of which, totally worked with our theme.
DAC is also easy to get to, being in the heart of DC, in Penn Quarter.
Laura Headrick, the Events Manager, is awesome. She’s very responsive and easy to talk to. She was also flexible and accommodating with our schedules for walk-​thrus and the rehearsal, which is difficult to do, since there are a lot of daytime events that happen there.
I’ll always have fond memories of the DAC!

The District Architecture Center is the newly-​opened home of the DC chapter of the AIA. Winners of a design contest for the space Hickok Cole Architects have put together a wonderfully flexible environment, perfect for sharing architecture with the community. According to its mission statement, «the District Architecture Center is a place for both the public and the professional to celebrate architecture» (quoted from
). Perhaps most compelling in the walking district of Penn Quarter is the DAC’s inviting floor-​to-​ceiling first floor windows, which allow visual connection from inside to the street, so that passersby can take a peak at what’s going on within.
Perhaps one of the greatest failings of the National Building Museum (
) is that it gives visitors a misrepresentation of the current state of architecture. Historic though it may be, it’s not a particularly compelling or engaging building, with columns so grandiose and overblown that one feels obliged to whisper so as not to echo within the enormous central hall. The DAC, by contrast, is built to a refreshingly human scale, and is occupied by, amongst others, the Alliance Française, whose students invigorate the building with their comings and goings, and a certain je né sais quoi that adds an air of international refinement to an already luxe space.
While the lobby area houses the occasional exhibition, it also serves as a decent post-​work event space. And the subterranean classrooms feel anything but, thanks to glass walls, channel glass walkways above, and the double-​height space that connects the basement to the first floor. Thus the two floors seem almost continuous, which I have to believe was the architects’ design — I have to believe it because according to Michael Woods’ blog on the Association of Architectural Organizations page, the DAC’s concept «evolved from a conviction that the project should express light, transparency and a connection with the city. The team [at Hickok Cole] created a two-​story space to provide a sense of unity and interconnectedness between both floors of the space» (quoted from
). The building is a success in that regard — the openness from first floor to below seems to open the lobby into one larger space. I would venture to guess that, though in its infancy, the DAC will also succeed in bringing more of a public awareness to architecture in the District through its highly transparent façade along one of the more pedestrian-​oriented streets in the city.