Atelier Manferdini Wraps Virginia Substation in Ceramic and Aluminum

Atelier Manferdini has wrapped Dominion Energy's Crystal Substation in Arlington County, Virginia, in glazed ceramic tiles, folded anodized aluminum, and programmable LED lighting. The project, called inVisible, sits at the corner of South Hayes Street and South Fern Street in National Landing's Crystal City neighborhood.

The envelope belongs to a broader infrastructural upgrade. Dominion Energy is replacing aging equipment, increasing capacity, and supporting rising energy demand in National Landing. The facade conceals the utilitarian power conversion equipment behind a multi-layered civic screen.

Dewberry served as local architect and project engineer. Materials listed for the project include custom painted precast concrete, anodized aluminum, and ceramic tiles.

How does the facade work?

The exterior splits into two horizontal zones that contrast in material, texture, and visual weight.

The lower plinth carries glazed ceramic tiles in three modular dimensions: 2, 4, and 6 inches. Atelier Manferdini designed the tiling to visually reflect the internal step-down voltage conversions (the process of lowering transmission voltage for local distribution). A ten-hue gradient palette colors the field.

The firm generated the layout using custom scripts in Processing, a creative coding environment. The scripts introduced synthetic visual glitching patterns meant to suggest dynamic electrical currents.

Above this pixelated ceramic datum, the upper band consists of folded, monochromatic anodized aluminum panels. Their angular, origami-like folds catch daylight and cast shifting shadows across the metallic skin throughout the diurnal cycle.

After dark, integrated RGB LED arrays wash across both materials. The system modulates light intensity and color temperature to animate the perimeter of the civic utility site.

What does this change for infrastructure design?

The project treats an electrical substation — a building type usually fenced and forgotten — as a legitimate civic facade commission. It shows how utilities confronting capacity upgrades in dense districts like National Landing can meet the street with color, material, and light rather than blank walls.

Project information:

• Name: inVisible – Dominion Energy Substation
• Architect: Atelier Manferdini
• Local architect & project engineer: Dewberry
• Client: Dominion Energy
• Location: Crystal City, Virginia, USA
• Materials: custom painted precast concrete, anodized aluminum, ceramic tiles
• Photographers: Dave Huh, Coulter D. Toatley IV

As data-center-driven demand strains grids across the Washington region, expect more utilities to follow Dominion's lead and commission designers who can turn capacity hardware into street-level architecture.