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Awards of Excellence 2021
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Akridge
601 Thirteenth Street Suite 300

601 Thirteenth Street Suite 300
Award of Excellence
Best Interiors - 10,001 - 25,000 SF

Project Team

Gensler - (Architect)
HITT Contracting - (General Contractor)

Project Description

The company is a prominent commercial real estate developer that has been an industry leader in Washington, DC for over 45 years. They have been housed in the same suite at The Homer Building at 601 Thirteenth Street, NW for 30 years and made only minor modifications or upgrades to the office space during that time. The executive team realized that the space had outlived its usefulness and was no longer representative of the high caliber development, innovative design, and distinguished services that they offer to their clients and to the cities in which they operate.

The team envisioned a three-dimensional representation of the company’s longstanding values and processes while supporting a new workplace experience. The culture of the company is one of the highest quality, therefore the selection of furniture, fixtures, and equipment needed to reflect their uncompromising character. The backbone of the design celebrates materials in their natural form: concrete, wood, and metal. This foundation is then layered with composition of textiles, greenery, and color. No detail is too small for in-depth evaluation. Much consideration has been paid to how all these materials come together. Although the layman may not know the details that elevate the design, they are felt throughout the space. Whether it be a bowtie joint, reveal, or set-back, all of these tools have been used to enhance the level of design and invoke an emotional response from everyone that enters.

Recognizing the flaws that have become apparent in all-open office configurations, the design team opted for an avant-garde solution that is conducive to focused attention and collaborative engagement. They rewrote existing traditional office rules in order to create the contemporary 7.5’ x 12’ office modules. The individual modules are innovative and trend-setting in their design and, yet, have retained maximum functionality in a paperless world. Overall, designers are heading toward defining a solution to allow individual working spaces in combination with huddle areas; however, the industry as a whole has yet to land on a solution similar to what has been achieved in the reimagining of these unique spaces. A secondary benefit of this design has become apparent as the industry contemplates space requirements in a post-COVID world, where companies will want to allow for individuality while realizing a reduced footprint.

The perimeter window modules combine with transom lights, glass fronts, and flooring that blur the lines between private and collaborative areas. This creates an airy sensation of openness throughout the whole suite, flawlessly blending personal and shared areas and encouraging use of the whole office as one’s workspace. Thoughtful placement of greenery brings the outdoors inside to establish a natural environment that is conducive to creativity, health and wellness.

The company also gave careful consideration to the implementation of new technology throughout the suite. All collaboration spaces incorporate state of the art technology systems to ease in the share of information and enhance teamwork. The use of shared drives, internet, video conferencing, and individual device screen sharing are simple and easy to use.

The design team left no detail to chance. Every aspect of the new suite at 601 Thirteenth Street, NW has been considered, weighed, and purposefully selected to enhance the experience of all inhabitants. Overall, the result is a space that masterfully represents the brand and culture of the company. It is genuine, timeless, and authentic.

THANK YOU TO OUR AWARDS SPONSORS
Clark Construction Company Brandywine Realty Trust Glass Jacobson The Tower Companies Trammell Crow Company Trammell Crow Company


Akridge  |   Balfour Beatty  |   The Bernstein Companies  |   Bohler Engineering  |   Brookfield  |   Carr Propoerties  |   CBRE  |   Chicago Title Insurance Company  |   Coakley & Williams Construction  |   Cooper Carry  |   Danak  |   DPR Construction  |   EagleBank  |   Grosvenor  |   Grunley  |   Hensel Phelps  |   HITT Contracting  |   JBG Smith  |   Lerch Early Brewer  |   MetLife  |   Penzance  |   Powers Brown Architecture  |   Price Modern  |   Ruppert Properties  |   US Bank  |   Washington Property Company  |   WDG  |   Wilkes Artis