The Asia Group Offices – Washington DC
FOX Architects created a thoughtful office design to honor the culture of the The Asia Group in Washington DC.
The Asia Group (TAG) is an advisory firm whose focus is on helping leading global businesses and investors advance their interests across Asia. Despite being well-established in its market, TAG lacked a well-defined brand identity. FOX Architects was challenged to design a new office space at 2000 Pennsylvania Ave that would visually communicate the impact of their work and thought leadership in the market. As a premier force in the industry, TAG also desired a space that would also welcome ambassadors from different cultures. The design concept needed to meet TAG’s day-to-day needs, while being inclusive and authentic to a wide breadth of Asian nations, without being overly specific to a singular cultural design reference, and clearly express TAG’s vision and values.
Throughout the design process, great attention and sensitivity were given to respect the distinguished cultures that would be reflected and impacted by the project design. Our design team took a unique approach to celebrate the varied cultural design vernaculars of Pan-Asian and Indo-Pacific cultures. Inspired by Asian architects, artists, and art styles, we aimed to provide an authentic reference into contemporary pan-Asian culture through art and design. The Chinese “Shuimo” painting style informed many of the decorative motifs, resulting in a space featuring layered patterns, textures, and rich colors. We focused on the horizontal axis to reference Asian architecture’s emphasis on breadth, versus height, commonly observed in solid forms that seem to float over a base. Each distinctly styled meeting space ties to the client’s bold brand identity. To balance the vibrant texture and patterns, we left some raw structural/shell conditions exposed, which further highlights the space’s elegance through contrast.
TAG now has an office that recognizes the diverse cultures of its clients and staff. The overall design evoked a well-traveled, boutique aesthetic that was reinforced by its extensive Asian art collection. Now a welcoming gathering place for visitors, the new space has become an integral part of TAG’s visual identity, which it will use to define standards for future planned office spaces across Asia.
Design: FOX Architects
Contractor: Harvey Cleary
Project Manager: Savills
Photography: Erin Kelleher Photography
