80 M Street SE
Location
Washington, D.C.
Completed
2017
Size
8,000 SF
Owners
Columbia Property Trust
Architect
Wingate Hughes Architects
Photographer
© Anice Hoachlander and Allen Russ, Hoachlander Davis Photography
Design Team
This repositioning project transformed a dated and disconnected lobby into a unified space with reception, lounge, and patio areas. With ample room for work, collaboration, and events, the new space appeals to the evolving needs of the millennial workforce, and invites the tenants to engage socially outside of the typical office environment. Drawing on the surrounding neighborhood’s rich industrial heritage, the creative architectural design uses brick, steel, concrete, and timber elements to create a chic amenity space, more akin to a neighborhood hot spot than an office lobby. Lighting activates and enlivens the areas by accenting the historic finishes, reinforcing architectural forms, enhancing the visual connections between spaces, and providing decorative anchors at feature locations. LED sources were used throughout to provide appropriate illumination levels at 15% under the lighting power density allowance. The end result is an approachable, welcoming space that has allowed the client to increase building occupancy from just over 50% pre-construction to near capacity.