Metro’s Crystal City East Entrance receives Envision Silver Award for resilient design

The new entrance to Crystal City station, scheduled to open in spring 2027, has received an Envision Silver Award for resilient design from the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure (ISI). It is the first project in the Metro system to earn an Envision award. The Crystal City East Entrance will increase station capacity, accommodate more customers, improve accessibility and safety, and enhance connectivity as the area continues to grow.

Envision is a framework and rating system that encourages infrastructure stakeholders to plan, design, and implement more resilient and high-performance projects (similar to the LEED program for buildings). To earn an Envision award, a project must go through third-party verification, demonstrating its ability to achieve performance and resilience outcomes across five categories: Quality of Life, Leadership, Resource Allocation, Natural World, and Climate & Resilience. The East Entrance was recognized for achievements across these areas, including community benefits such as:

• Improving community mobility and access, especially as the new elevators will upgrade accessibility;
• Encouraging multimodal transportation through improved transfers between Metro Rail, Metro Bus, VRE, Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway, and ART services, as well as connections to the Mount Vernon Trail; and
• Enhancing public health and safety, as it creates an additional emergency exit and allows first responders to quickly access the station.

“This award recognizes Metro’s commitment to building resilient infrastructure that makes our system safer and more accessible,” said Metro General Manager and CEO Randy Clarke. “The new Crystal City entrance will give customers more convenient access to Metro Rail and help us meet the needs of this growing neighborhood.”

The new entrance is the first public transportation station project in the Mid-Atlantic to earn a Silver rating.

Metro and Arlington County have teamed up with local developer JBG Smith, lead designer VHB, and Clark Construction to deliver the East Entrance through a collaborative design-build approach. The project broke ground in July 2024. VHB also led the Envision verification effort, coordinating resilient design strategies through multiple phases and guiding the project through the Envision framework.

“This designation reflects Arlington’s ongoing commitment to its comprehensive transit network and County transportation goals,” said Arlington Board Chair Matt de Ferranti. “This second entrance will provide new, safe, and reliable ways for riders to access the Crystal City station — enhancing an already fantastic transportation option for Arlingtonians and visitors to commute to work, to visit local businesses and public amenities, and to explore and enjoy all that Arlington and the region has to offer.”

Crystal City is one of Metro’s busiest stations in Arlington County. The new entrance at the northwest corner of 18th St South and Crystal Dr will provide station access from the street level through an aboveground lobby and connect customers from a new mezzanine to the train platforms using stairs and elevators.

The project also reached high levels of achievement in measures of risk and resilience, infrastructure integration, stormwater management, economic development, stakeholder involvement, and construction safety. Its planning, design, and funding were a partnership between multiple stakeholders, and Metro and Arlington County engaged with the community throughout the project’s development. The project’s roots go back to 2010, when Arlington County’s Crystal City Sector Plan identified access improvements needed at the Crystal City station, with further evaluation and stakeholder feedback helping to narrow potential sites and shape the final above-ground entrance design.

“The new station entrance will improve transit access, accessibility, and connectivity in a growing community, while demonstrating how collaboration and the Envision framework can help deliver higher-performing infrastructure that is more sustainable and resilient,” said Anthony Kane, President and CEO of ISI, “as the first WMATA project and first Arlington County project to obtain Envision verification, this is an achievement that everyone involved can be proud of.”

Construction continues this fall and winter, with completion expected on schedule in spring 2027. For more information, visit Metro’s project website. To learn more about Envision, visit the ISI website.