$575M Office-to-Residential Conversion in Washington, DC Requires 9 Low Voltage Systems

The Geneva, a $575 million office-to-residential conversion in Washington, DC, requires nine low voltage systems across 1.08 million square feet, creating an estimated $17 million opportunity for contractors in the District market. This is the largest office-to-residential conversion in DC history.

Project Overview

Philadelphia-based developer Post Brothers is transforming the Universal Buildings at 1825-1875 Connecticut Avenue NW into The Geneva, a 15-story, LEED Gold-certified residential community in the heart of Washington, DC. The project sits at the nexus of Dupont Circle, Adams Morgan, and Kalorama — three of the District's most sought-after neighborhoods.

The conversion will deliver 532 new residential units, including 60 permanently affordable homes, along with 57,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space. Post Brothers acquired the two mid-century office buildings for just over $200 million in April 2022 and closed on $575 million in financing in late 2025, including a record-setting $465 million C-PACE loan from Nuveen Green Capital.

Mayor Muriel Bowser broke ground on The Geneva on January 22, 2026, marking a milestone for the District's Housing in Downtown program, which awarded the project $41 million in tax abatements to incentivize the conversion. According to permit records filed with the District of Columbia, the project scope includes complete MEP replacement, facade modernization, and full low-voltage infrastructure buildout across both residential and retail components.

Project	The Geneva (Universal Buildings Conversion)
Location	1825-1875 Connecticut Ave NW, Washington, DC 20009
Total Value	$575 million (financing close)
Project Type	Mixed-Use (Office-to-Residential Conversion)
Status	Under Construction (Groundbreaking January 2026)
LV Score	8/10
Source	Washington DC Building Permits

Key Players

The Geneva has attracted major institutional backing and top-tier design talent, reflecting the scale and ambition of DC's largest-ever residential conversion.

Role	Company	Details
Developer	Post Brothers	Philadelphia-based developer known for large-scale multifamily projects. Led by President Matt Pestronk, the firm acquired the Universal Buildings for $200M+ in 2022.
Architect	Handel Architects	New York-based firm specializing in large-scale residential and mixed-use projects with expertise in adaptive reuse and conversion design.
C-PACE Lender	Nuveen Green Capital	Provided a record-setting $465 million C-PACE loan — the largest in U.S. history — funding the project's sustainability and energy efficiency measures.
Senior Lender	Mavik Capital Management	Provided $110 million in senior debt to complete the capital stack alongside the C-PACE financing.

Low Voltage Systems Breakdown

The Geneva's nine low voltage systems span security, life safety, communications, building automation, and specialty retail infrastructure. Converting 1.08 million square feet of office space into a mixed-use residential community requires a complete LV infrastructure redesign — none of the existing office-grade systems will carry over to the new residential configuration.

System	Category	Scope Description	Complexity
Structured Cabling	Data/Voice	Full riser and horizontal cabling infrastructure for 532 residential units plus 57,000 SF of commercial space. Cat6A to each unit with fiber backbone connecting all 15 floors. Includes telecom rooms, MDF/IDF buildout, and ISP demarcation points.	High
Access Control	Security	Building-wide access control across residential lobbies, parking garage (440 spaces), amenity areas, retail entries, and unit-level smart lock integration. Credential management for 532 units plus commercial tenants.	High
CCTV	Security	IP camera coverage for lobbies, corridors, parking structure, loading docks, retail frontage, and building perimeter. Estimated 200+ camera positions across two buildings with centralized NVR/VMS.	High
Fire Alarm	Life Safety	Complete addressable fire alarm system for R-2 residential occupancy with high-rise requirements. Includes smoke detection in every unit, corridor pull stations, stairwell pressurization monitoring, elevator recall, and central station monitoring.	High
Building Automation	Building Automation	LEED Gold-targeted BAS controlling all-electric HVAC (no natural gas on site), central hot water heating plant, and energy management. Includes rain harvesting for pool systems and EV charging station integration.	High
DAS	Wireless	Distributed Antenna System for reliable cellular coverage throughout 1.08M SF across two mid-rise buildings. Critical for residential units, underground parking, and retail spaces. Multi-carrier support required.	High
POS Systems	Specialty	Point-of-sale infrastructure for 57,000 SF of ground-floor retail and commercial space. Network drops, power provisioning, and connectivity for multiple retail tenants.	Medium
AV Systems	AV	Audio-visual systems for residential amenity spaces including coworking lounge, fitness center, community rooms, and lobby digital displays. Includes potential digital signage for retail tenants.	Medium
Emergency Communication	Life Safety	Emergency voice/alarm communication system for high-rise residential occupancy. Includes stairwell communication, emergency responder radio coverage, and mass notification capability per DC fire code.	High

Estimated Low Voltage Value

With nine integrated systems across 1.08 million square feet, The Geneva represents one of the largest low voltage scopes in the Washington, DC market. The complete infrastructure replacement — rather than renovation of existing systems — drives the estimate toward the higher end of industry benchmarks.

Total Project Value	$575 million
Estimated Construction Cost	~$300 million (conversion/construction portion)
LV Percentage	4.5% (Mixed-Use midpoint)
System Count Multiplier	1.25x (9 systems, 7+ tier)
Estimated LV Contract Value	~$17 million

The estimated low voltage contract value of approximately $17 million is based on an estimated construction cost of $300 million for the conversion scope, applying the industry midpoint of 4.5% for mixed-use projects with a 1.25x multiplier for the nine-system integration complexity. This positions The Geneva as a multi-million-dollar opportunity that will likely require multiple LV subcontractors working in coordination.

The largest system-level investments will likely be structured cabling (20-25% of LV budget), fire alarm and life safety (20-25%), building automation (15-20%), and DAS (10-15%). The LEED Gold certification target adds complexity to the BAS scope, as energy monitoring, reporting, and optimization systems must meet stringent performance thresholds.

Skills and Certifications Required

The Geneva's nine-system scope demands a deep bench of certified technicians across multiple disciplines. The residential conversion context adds specific requirements around high-rise life safety codes and residential-grade system standards.

System	Key Certifications	Critical Skills
Structured Cabling	BICSI INST2, RCDD (design)	Cat6A termination, fiber splicing, riser management, Fluke certification
Fire Alarm	NICET Level III+, DC Fire Alarm License	NFPA 72, high-rise code compliance, addressable system programming, AHJ coordination
Access Control	PSP (ASIS), Manufacturer certs (Genetec/Lenel)	IP networking, door hardware, credential management at scale (500+ units)
CCTV	Manufacturer certs (Axis/Avigilon)	PoE networking, camera placement, VMS configuration, storage calculation
Building Automation	Tridium Niagara N4, BACnet certification	DDC controllers, all-electric HVAC integration, LEED commissioning, energy analytics
DAS	BICSI RCDD, RF engineering	Multi-carrier coordination, antenna placement, signal testing, fiber splicing
Emergency Communication	NICET Level II+, DC licenses	High-rise emergency systems, responder radio coverage, code compliance

Entry-level technicians with BICSI Installer 1 or NICET Level I certifications can contribute to cable pulling, device mounting, and basic terminations across the 532 units. Mid-level techs with NICET Level II or BICSI INSTC will handle system wiring and testing. Senior engineers with RCDD, NICET Level III+, and BACnet certifications will be essential for system design, programming, and commissioning oversight.

The LEED Gold target means the BAS team will need experience with energy modeling, automated fault detection, and sustainability reporting systems. Contractors should verify their District of Columbia low voltage contractor license is current, as DC has specific licensing requirements for fire alarm, security, and telecommunications work.

Market Signal

The Geneva is a bellwether project for Washington, DC's office-to-residential conversion movement. With the District's office vacancy rate hovering near historic highs, Mayor Bowser's Housing in Downtown program has catalyzed a wave of conversion projects, and The Geneva is the largest to break ground. The $41 million in tax abatements the project received signals strong public-sector commitment to making these conversions financially viable.

For low voltage contractors in the Mid-Atlantic region, this project signals a significant shift in the work pipeline. Office-to-residential conversions require complete LV infrastructure replacement — you cannot repurpose commercial-grade fire alarm, access control, or cabling systems for residential occupancy. Every system must be designed, installed, and commissioned from scratch, creating greenfield-like LV scopes inside existing building shells.

The record-setting C-PACE financing structure also matters for contractors. C-PACE loans are specifically tied to energy efficiency and sustainability improvements, which means the BAS, lighting control, and energy monitoring components of the LV scope are directly backed by dedicated financing. This reduces payment risk for those subsystems and signals that the ownership group is serious about the technology integration.

With multiple additional office-to-residential conversions in the DC pipeline, contractors who build relationships and demonstrate expertise on The Geneva will be well-positioned for follow-on work as the conversion trend accelerates across the District and beyond.

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