OTJ Architects crafted a global engineering firm’s offices in Washington DC to blend contemporary hospitality with the organization’s rich heritage, creating a dynamic executive environment that celebrates its legacy while fostering innovation.

Headquartered in Reston, VA, this global engineering and construction firm approached OTJ Architects to design and deliver a new government affairs and C-Suite experience center that would celebrate the organization’s history while propelling operations distinctly forward. The new workplace celebrates the client’s storied brand and integrates the discreet luxury of contemporary hospitality design into a state-of-the-art executive environment.

Our design builds on a layered and adaptable program that meets the present needs of a range of functions and workstyles while remaining flexible enough to accommodate those of the future. A grand, divisible conference room provides premier hosting capabilities, while adjacent breakout areas offer a curated mix of lounge seating configurations. A meticulously crafted work café – named in tribute to the founding CEO’s wife – nods to the organization’s corporate heritage with bespoke train-car-inspired banquette seating. Central to the project’s design narrative and programmatic structure is a passageway, coined Skybridge. Inspired by the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, this hall is a metaphor for time travel. As visitors traverse its length, stone etchings that chronologically represent the client’s most significant accomplishments unfold to spark conversation and cement the organization’s position as a leader within its field. These natural materials that speak to the past are boldly juxtaposed against a sweeping serpentine digital installation that arches fluidly for more than 50 across the pre-function space. Both a dynamic storytelling device and a flexible branding tool, the display showcases custom content modules that highlight the client’s legacy yet remains fully programmable should alternate content be required.

The success of the project can be credited in no small part to a distinctly collaborative approach that allowed our team, in conjunction with the client’s leadership, to leverage brand standards while translating the spirit of the organization into a built solution. A set cadence of meetings, virtual and in-person, alongside a rigorously maintained executive schedule, ensured that all stakeholders engaged in decision making from the onset of the project, despite the complexities inherent to working with a leadership group dispersed across multiple time zones. This robust and consistent communication approach, supported by a robust suite of digital design tools that facilitate visualization, made possible rapid yet confident decision making. The experience center is now poised to showcase the organization’s vision, values, and aspirations through the artful blend of impactful architectural gestures, interactive displays, and arresting environmental graphics.