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ArchDC Winter 2018.qxp_Winter 2018 11/27/18 9:36 AM Page 34

Lounge area and café in the offices of Latham & Watkins. All photos © Halkin Mason

Lobby. Open stairwell.

Award for Excellence in Interior Architecture In 2000, the Washington office of global law powerhouse
Latham & Watkins LLP moved to seven floors of the
Latham & Watkins LLP then-new Lincoln Square building by Hartman-Cox
Washington, DC Architects, which occupies over half a city block in a
prime Penn Quarter location. The build-out was high-end
Gensler in its day, but by the time the original lease expired, it
seemed dark and overly partitioned, at least by current
Lighting Designers: Mitchell B. Kohn Lighting Design
standards. There is now a consensus that such separations
Landscape Architects: OJB Landscape Architects
hinder the effectiveness of employees. A balance between
Structural Engineers: Thornton Tomasetti
privacy and interactions is ideal.
MEP Engineers: GHT Ltd.
The firm decided to stay put, but to undertake
Renderer: Halkin Mason
transformative renovations in phases. Gensler was
General Contractor: Harvey-Cleary Builders
selected as the architect, a not-unexpected choice given
that both are large firms that combine global reach with
a strong local presence.
Gensler’s central effort was to bring light into interior
areas of each floor, while simultaneously providing visual
34 BUSINESS ACUMEN