555 12th Street Repositioning
Our ability to look beyond the current conditions and the current tenants’ way of working and consider the future of the workplace turned 555 12th Street into a 21st century office building.
Client
MetLife
Location
Washington, DC
Markets/Services
Architecture, Commercial Office Buildings, Interiors, Lighting Design, Workplace
Size
500,000 SF
Featured Awards
National Association of Industrial and Office Properties (NAIOP) -- DC/MD Chapter, Award of Excellence
The workplace is changing. As technology advances and the workforce discovers new ways to interact and collaborate, the standard office buildings with their compartmentalized spaces are quickly becoming passé.
Companies now seek offices that are bright and interactive, flexible and multi-purpose. They want spaces to congregate, both with their own team members and those who occupy adjacent offices.
555 12th Street in Washington, DC was a great office building when first constructed in the 90’s. The new owner could see it’s potential to become a sought-after building once again. As tenants were vacating, the owner and SmithGroup needed to act quickly to not only keep its current occupants but attract new ones.
Our team saw the flatness of the building’s current aesthetic, but recognized its aptitude, and was eager to breathe new life into its walls. We targeted the building’s entry and lobby, its elevators and fitness center, and even created a roof terrace.
Establishing co-working spaces was a priority in our design, transforming the 12-story lobby, once dark and cavernous, into a soaring atrium drenched with light.
The rooftop terrace provides space for more casual company gatherings, taking business that typically occurs indoors and allowing it to move outdoors. Tenants from different offices, companies, and floors now use both spaces for co-working opportunities.
The head and heart of a structure should be where most of the activity transpires, and it is because of these newly-found energy hubs that 555 12th Street has been transformed into a modern and in-demand office building.