Sowinski Sullivan is the architect leading a team for the renovations of the Crew Base Facility at the Washington Union Station (WUS) complex in Washington, D.C. The facility is situated beneath a six-level parking garage structure and is comprised of three stories: two above grade, and one below with limited access to natural light. With ridership at a historical peak and increases projected for the future, the Crew Base Facility has exceeded its original programming. The improvements at the Crew Base Facility are intended to support the anticipated growth in both rail operations and ridership at WUS by 2025. The Crew Base operates on a 24 hour/7 day per week basis and needs to maintain primary operations throughout construction.

Programming interviews were conducted with key Amtrak personnel from affected departments to discuss operational observations from the site visits. Utilizing these interviews, crew schedules, and staffing data, Sowinski Sullivan established growth factors to aid the development of programmatic room sizes to suit the needs of the users of the Crew Base both now and into the future. The established room sizes were then used to generate three alternative layouts that addresses programming needs, the efficiency of circulation through the facility, and department-specific operational requirements. Additionally, the project seeks to achieve a state of good repair and perform corrective action to meet current codes and standards.