As the firm’s 12th global location, the office will support existing and new clients in the region
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2020 — NBBJ, named among the most innovative architecture firms in the world by Fast Company three times, has opened an office in Washington, D.C. to shape the renewal and transformation of the greater metro area. The office – which will focus on commercial development, corporate workplace, healthcare and science projects – will also support NBBJ’s ongoing work with Amazon on its HQ2 project in Virginia. NBBJ’s role on the Amazon HQ2 project includes master planning, building architecture and interior design, and builds upon the previous work the firm led for Amazon as part of its three-block headquarters expansion in Seattle.
“Locating an office in Washington, D.C. ensures we can better serve our clients while at the same time extend our services to the many local development, commerce, government and healthcare organizations that are searching for visionary and adaptable solutions for the built environment,” said NBBJ Managing Partner Steve McConnell, FAIA. “Washington, D.C. is a dynamic hub for business, policy and the arts, but also a market ripe with organizations looking for solutions to help them better innovate and create. Likewise, the opening of NBBJ’s D.C. office underscores our strong position in the industry and the fact our ideas play a critical role in provoking economic vitality, community, health and sustainability.”
The Washington, D.C. office, located in the Foggy Bottom neighborhood, is led by Commercial Practice Director Brad King and NBBJ Partner Timothy Johnson, FAIA, a firmwide leader in NBBJ’s commercial practice. In addition to staff who live in the region, the office will host teams from NBBJ’s global network of offices who work on projects locally. Among the focus areas for the office: design of mixed-use developments, corporate headquarters and the repositioning of real estate assets to meet changing work styles, health requirements and tenant needs. These desires include a greater connection between tenants’ work and personal lives, integration with the larger community, a focus on health beyond purely physical attributes and access to the outdoors.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is an opportunity for building owners and tenants to re-evaluate their portfolios to ensure they remain competitive in the months and years to come,” said NBBJ Commercial Director Brad King. “From utilization and planning studies to light touch interventions and complete repositioning of existing assets, it’s important to focus on strategies that extend the life of current real assets and ensure new developments are viable, yet flexible to accommodate future change.”
The firm has a history of delivering successful projects in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area over the past decade – including the Advisory Board Company’s headquarters in Mount Vernon Triangle, a health center for Chase Brexton in Baltimore and the Anacostia Waterfront Framework Plan. ESI Design, NBBJ’s experience design studio on the East Coast, also has a deep history working on commercial projects in D.C., reinvigorating streetscapes, lobbies and public areas with interactive digital experiences, including for properties owned by Beacon Capital Partners and Stonebridge Associates. In addition to project work, the firm’s leaders are also active in community service, including NBBJ Principal Alex Krieger, FAIA, who serves on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts.
NBBJ Washington, D.C.
2001 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Suite 540
Washington, DC 20006
202.316.5219
About NBBJ
Founded in 1943, NBBJ’s projects have had a profound impact globally, helping clients drive innovation by creating highly productive, sustainable spaces. Its work includes Amazon’s 3.3 million SF HQ1 expansion in Seattle, major hospital projects for Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, a new 2.2 million SM “Net City” for Chinese tech giant Tencent, the largest development to date at the University of Oxford in England and the headquarters for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. With the opening of the Washington, D.C. office, NBBJ will have more than 800 employees in Boston, Columbus, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, New York, Portland, Pune, San Francisco, Seattle, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.
