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Oak treads contrast with blackened steel on the main internal staircase at Blackboard. All photos © Judy Davis/StudioHDP
The Writing
The Writing

on the Wall
on the Wall

Blackboard’s New Offices Reflect

Ongoing Changes in the Workplace

by Denise Liebowitz

Reports of the death of the office as currently appearing amply illustrates his belief. Just a few weeks before
in newspaper headlines and social media posts are the March 2020 lockdown, Blackboard—a technology
probably greatly exaggerated. While many employers, company that supports digital learning for K-12 and
their employees, and those who design and build higher education, as well as government and business
workplaces expect that office spaces are likely to clients—welcomed its 215-person headquarters
change in a post-pandemic world, most believe it is staff into their new office. Occupying the top two
too soon to know what form those changes will take. floors of a 12-story building in Reston, Virginia,
Clearly in the camp that expects the office workplace to the 50,000-square-foot workplace was designed for
thrive in the future is Rob Moylan, AIA, principal and connection and collaboration—where Blackboard
corporate director of interiors at SmithGroup, a global employees, previously housed in several locations in
design firm. “We are human,” he said. “People want to Reston and Washington, could be consolidated into one
go back to seeing one another, being together, and they shared space. It was a place to be together. In person.
are more productive when they can collaborate.” “We had just seven weeks in the new office before
Moylan’s recently completed global headquarters the pandemic shut everything down,” said Stephen
for a high-tech education management company Dunn, Blackboard’s vice president of enterprise

68 THE WRITING ON THE WALL