Workplace strategies will inform future renovation of four-building, 800,000-square-foot campus

“Perkins+Will’s strategies and expertise are being applied to support the change management component of a proposed large-scale campus renovation, while letting employees experience and comment on a variety of workplace settings that provide for technological enhancement, greater choice, efficiency, stronger collaborative support, and a more welcoming introduction for visitors,” says Laura Morris, Perkins+Will D.C. office.

WASHINGTON, D.C —June 23, 2016, — An opportunity to repurpose an 11,000 square-foot cafeteria at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) campus in Silver Spring is serving as a pilot to test the proposed strategies for the transformation of the rest of the agency’s 800,000 square feet headquarters. In collaboration with GSA Total Workplace and NOAA, Perkins+Will developed advanced workplace strategies and concepts to transform outdated offices and enhance efficiency, incorporate technologically superior work areas and conferencing, improve access to daylight and views, and create a more welcoming environment for visitors.

“During the workplace strategy process, NOAA’s decision to close a large on-site cafeteria opened the door to an ideal location for a NOAA Community Hub Zone. In this innovative space, employees can preview workplace strategies that offer an array of configurations for collaboration, personal focus, and leisure time or dining,” said Laura Morris at Perkins+Will’s Washington, D.C. office, who led the project team.

Featuring floor-to-ceiling windows and access to a large outdoor patio with views, the former cafeteria space is being repurposed and adapted to include Wi-Fi, a café with seating, several large conference rooms, multiple open seating areas with lounge furniture for group meetings or independent work, centrally-located support zones, huddle rooms for small meetings, focus rooms for private phone calls or quiet work, and an unassigned work zone with low-paneled workstations and small lockers. The entrance is located just outside a higher security zone and allows employees to meet with visitors in the lounge or coffee shop and then choose an appropriate meeting space in a more relaxed environment.

Three concepts contributed to the design of the pilot project: sustainability, brand and flow and movement through the space. NOAA’s mission to protect people and the environment through resiliency and healthy ecosystems led to a selection of sustainable materials such as recycled glass and carpet. The Net-Effect carpet, for instance, is made from discarded and recycled fishing nets with proceeds going to help impoverished fishing villages.

NOAA’s brand components of air, sea and land are also represented in the use of blue colored glass and stylistic super graphic wallcovering, the water pattern of film on the conference room glass, and mosaic tile used in the café. Dynamic elements in the walls, floor and ceiling lead employees and visitors like a river around the perimeter of the space as they choose a work or meeting zone that best fits the needs for the day.

About Perkins+Will
Perkins+Will is an interdisciplinary, research-based architecture and design firm established in 1935 and founded on the belief that design has the power to transform lives and enhance communities. Each of the firm’s 24 offices focuses on local, regional, and global work in a variety of practice areas. With hundreds of award-winning projects annually, Perkins+Will is highly ranked among top global design firms. Perkins+Will is recognized as one of the industry’s preeminent sustainable design firms due to its innovative research, design tools, and expertise. The firm's 1,800 professionals are thought leaders in developing 21st century solutions to inspire the creation of spaces in which clients and their communities work heal, live, and learn. Social responsibility is a fundamental aspect of Perkins+Will’s culture and every year the company donates 1% of its design services to pro bono initiatives. In 2015, Fast Company ranked Perkins+Will among “The World’s Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Architecture.”

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