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Yellow appears again on the chairs in a conference room.
operations and workplace. “It worked so well and retro houndstooth and plaid furniture upholstery all
everyone said they loved it. We had our executive team evoke an almost collegiate vibe. Communal areas are
from all over the world in here and they couldn’t have defined by a variety of lighting fixtures that would be
been more complimentary.” Dunn noted that even more expected in a high-end residential or hospitality
pre-pandemic, a significant portion of the staff worked setting than in a commercial office. “While we work
remotely at least part of the time and he expected with cutting-edge technology,” Dunn explained, “the
that hybrid model would remain part of Blackboard’s education market is in some sense quite traditional.
culture into the future. Both he and his architect We wanted to marry the slick technology and
are confident the office design is flexible enough to contemporary design with the classic school motif.”
accommodate a phased and safe return of employees There is a sense of whimsy on display throughout
and functional and appealing enough that they will the space. Pops of school bus yellow appear throughout
want to come back. the space in furniture and the pantry. Digital white
In describing the original design inspiration for the boards, here finished in black glass, play on the
education company’s office, Moylan pointed to Thomas Blackboard company name. A shuffleboard court on
Jefferson’s early concept for the University of Virginia the pantry floor and retro Q*bert arcade games in the
as an “academical village” with its central lawn common area lend a light-hearted lift to the space. A
and rotunda serving as a gathering hub connected large Albert Einstein graphic enlivens an open space,
by colonnades to faculty and student lodgings and while colorful schoolroom maps of the world cover the
teaching quarters. In the new Blackboard office, shared walls of some individual workspaces. “Our previous
spaces are at the core of the layout, collaboration offices were generic.” said Dunn. “Here we wanted the
spaces and private offices form an interior ring, and design and branding to express our commitment to
workstations are positioned along the windowed technology and our passion for the work.”
perimeter. “The space is organized in a series of Blackboard’s main entry and its conference center
neighborhoods or districts with circulation paths are located on the tenth floor and a welcoming pantry/
connecting them, as on a college campus,” explained café area is on the eleventh. Private offices, communal
Dunn, himself an architect. “Think Harvard Yard.” spaces, and workstations are spread across both floors.
The central organizing element of the two-story The colors of the furnishings and floor coverings give
space is a grand stair of blackened steel, mesh risers, subtle cues to identify circulation paths and various
and substantial oak. The bold stair, sleek glass-walled work areas. The company’s organization is flat, Dunn
offices, and polished concrete floors contrast sharply reports, so no large corner executive suites here. The
with other, far more traditional design elements. Raised office is organized with a multitude of spaces from
wood wall paneling, sophisticated millwork, and conference rooms to semi-private workspaces to meet

70 THE WRITING ON THE WALL