Page 48 - ArchDC_Winter2017

ArchDC Winter 2017.qxp_Fall 2017 11/17/17 5:49 PM Page 46

New headquarters of The Washington Post. The News Hub of The Washington Post. Photos © Garrett Rowland

Merit Award in Interior Architecture of monitors displaying a wide variety of information
including breaking news, reader/viewer analytics, and
The Washington Post social media feeds. Adjacent to that hub is a conference
Washington, DC room named for longtime Post editor Ben Bradlee, where
the senior editorial team meets to review draft stories and
Gensler discuss placement priorities. The conference room’s glass
walls not only reflect the sense of transparency that the
Lighting Designers: SBLD Studio
newspaper considers vital to its corporate culture, but also
Structural Engineers: SK&A Associates
afford useful lines of sight between meeting participants and
MEP Engineers: WSP USA
staff members in the hub and other surrounding spaces.
Audiovisual/IT Consultants: CMS Innovative Consultants
Nestled amid the open-plan newsroom are several
Fire/Life Safety Consultants: Aon Fire Protection
“open set positions,” which are essentially informal,
Engineering Corporation
unenclosed broadcast studios. Reports and interviews
Food Service Consultants: Woodburn & Associates, Inc.
broadcast from these sites—with working staff members
Branding Consultants: PhotoWorksGroup
visible in the background—convey a sense of immediacy
Broadcast Consultants: Severn
and journalistic credibility. Also scattered throughout the
Contractor: rand* construction corporation
space are various collaboration areas in varying sizes and
degrees of enclosure.
The new home of The Washington Post, occupying all or part
With its open office landscapes, ocean of computer
of six floors in the office building at One Franklin Square,
screens, and largely neutral palette—black, white, gray, and
seems to refute the prevailing wisdom that traditional
light wood, with accents in a medium blue reminiscent of
news media are moribund. The two-story newsroom, in
a blank video screen—the interior evokes a high-tech
particular, accommodating a staff of nearly 1,000 people,
start-up. At the same time, it reflects a high degree of
veritably hums with activity day and night. The space
organization and sophistication befitting a venerable
exudes a sense of purpose, an atmosphere of history-in-
news organization. The space thus perfectly captures the
the-making, and a forward-looking spirit supported by
company’s current ethos, which seeks to honor its history
state-of-the-art communications technologies.
while successfully competing in the rapidly changing
Designed by Gensler, the newsroom has an open
media environment.
plan punctuated by specialized core spaces that reflect
the unique workings of the newspaper and its related
The Washington Post interior was previously covered in the
online services. The double-height News Hub, as its name
Fall 2017 issue of ARCHITECTUREDC.
implies, is the nerve center of the operation, with a band
46 COMMERCIAL SUCCESSES