Award of Excellence
Best Interiors up to 10,000SF

Project Team

Leidos - (Owner)
Gensler - (Architect)
rand* construction corporation - (General Contractor)
JLL - (Project Management)

Executive Summary

Leidos is an American defense company who had a need to construct their new government affairs office on Capitol Hill. The project aims to act as a collaborative space within the fabric of the District allowing for collaborative development and research within the contracting sector. Ironically, this collaborative effort was critical through the delivery of the construction of the project due to the accelerated fourteen-week schedule requiring major trades to work in a concerted effort from the limited preconstruction period through project turnover.

The Leidos brand identity was developed to stand out among the sea of red white and blue government agencies. Their violet and ultra violet colors, along with their logo, composed of triangles called the Vertex and Vertices, are distinct design elements in themselves. The architectural design is inspired by and reflects their brand ethos: transformational, multi-perspective, and solution driven. Their brand is integrated—rather than applied—into the architecture to create an exceptional place where they can be proud to bring in visitors and guests.

The project was a complete demolition and new build-out of a tenant office including reception, conference rooms, pantry, perimeter offices, and LAN room. It was critical to work hand-in-hand with the design team for prompt turnaround on submittals to release project materials and ensure delivery to site for construction. This effort was especially challenging due to the complexity of the design and the extensive custom elements in the projects dictated by Leidos’ corporate identity influencing the design. The vertex and vertices logo come to life as a folded ceiling plane at the reception. This powerful design move articulates the entry experience, integrates their mission, and creates an impact within the relatively small office footprint. Another key component of Leidos’ brand, “no 90-degree angles” was taken literally into the wall layout. These angled walls not only reflect aspects of their brand but create one unified space; composed of the reception, pantry and boardroom; all the while aligning users with premium views of the national mall. Materiality was key in aligning their and brand in an elegant yet impactful way. Unexpected touches like the use of dichroic glass, which was originally developed by one of Leidos’ clients NASA, is used on both the reception desk and boardroom tables.

The general contractor helped engineer the most critical materials including the transition ledge glass and custom light fixtures to help control the schedule. The integration of all subcontractors and vendors during layout was paramount to ensure all workscope was accounted for and integrated seamlessly. This was most important at transition alignments where all the custom linear lights, Newmat ceiling, and terrazzo aligned with drywall beads making attention to detail of utmost importance for all subcontractors. The implementation of a clearly defined line of communication to dictate roles, responsibilities, and expectations controlled the schedule to ensure a successful project. This prominent new location acts as a showroom for Leidos to highlight both their work and brand on Capitol Hill.