Located just four blocks from the DC metro, RTKL’s new 60,000-SF, LEED Platinum-seeking office is a shining example of next-generation sustainable corporate interiors. Faced with pending lease expiration and a changing workforce, the ARCADIS affiliate set out to create a workplace that embodied its collaborative ethos while demonstrating its commitment to sustainable architecture.

To identify the qualities of the workplace that supported the firm’s culture, workplace anthropologists observed RTKL’s working habits while the design team engaged employees in on-line surveys, focus group sessions, and numerous town hall meetings. The findings ultimately helped inform the design of the new space. An open work plan, touchdown spaces, state-of-the-art conferencing space and in-board offices, all foster an environment that is more about teaming and partnerships than a traditional corporate hierarchy. Ninety percent of the office has access to natural light. Energy efficient light fixtures, regionally manufactured materials, materials with high-recycled content and low VOC, reused furnishings, low-flow water fixtures, and improved indoor air quality demonstrate good environmental stewardship at every turn. Conference facilities with video-teleconferencing capabilities facilitate inter-office collaboration while AV-enhanced design labs on each floor allow for more interactive charettes.