CareFirst Arena (The Entertainment and Sports Arena)

Cost-efficient subsurface engineering for the CareFirst Arena

The Entertainment and Sports Arena, now CareFirst Arena, is a 125,000-square-foot venue in Washington, D.C., serving as the new home to the Washington Mystics, and practice/training facility to the Washington Wizards’ and Capital City Go-Go. Built to support economic development in Ward 8, the arena also hosts concerts, boxing and community events.

Challenge: Subsurface variability and foundation coordination

Construction on the reclaimed St. Elizabeth’s East Campus required foundation support in an area with a complex development history and undocumented fill materials. Variable bearing capacities and tight sequencing added geotechnical and logistical demands during foundation and slab construction.

Solution: Tailored geotechnical engineering and construction materials testing

Rather than defaulting to a more conservative and costly foundation system, ECS’ geotechnical team developed economical recommendations that allowed the building to be founded on spread footing foundations. This decision directly supported the project’s construction budget without compromising structural performance.

Findings from soil borings performed across multiple structural zones informed recommendations for spread footings and helped reduce risks associated with variable fill.

During construction, ECS also provided materials testing for concrete, masonry, structural steel, building envelope systems and firestopping.

As the arena neared completion, ECS conducted specialized moisture testing on the concrete slabs designated for the basketball court and resilient flooring areas.