American Geophysical Union Offices – Washington DC
Hickok Cole designed American Geophysical Union’s innovative net zero energy office renovation in Washington DC, showcasing sustainable technology, collaborative spaces, and public engagement to lead high-performance building design.
As the first net zero energy office renovation in the Mid-Atlantic, American Geophysical Union’s new headquarters delivers a collaborative, contemporary workplace environment that embodies the organization’s mission to advance earth and space sciences and serves as a transparent data resource to catalyze more high-performance buildings of its kind.
Located at 2000 Florida Avenue, this milestone of a project represents a new path forward for high-performance buildings in the District and beyond. AGU’s new headquarters showcases real-world scientific advancement through innovative sustainable technology, serving as a model for reducing the carbon and environmental impacts of business operations by testing and implementing new technologies.
AGU is committed to serving as a living lab and designed its new home to engage with and educate the public. The resulting design transforms the ground floor with an interactive exhibit showcasing member research with expanded street-level vitrine bays that invite pedestrians to peek inside.
A welcoming lounge and shared workspace provide a home away from home for AGU’s visiting members to connect with and collaborate among their peers. A flexible, state-of-the-art conference center allows AGU to host internal events, social functions for members, or educational programming open to the public.
Regularly offered public tours allow visitors to explore the building and increase awareness around high-performance design. Throughout, informational graphics highlight AGU’s mission and indicate points of interest, including an open command center and systems room on the concourse level.
A custom mix of workplace strategies address both high-performance and wellness to deliver a modern and collaborative environment staff can enjoy. A new open office, supplemented with flexible huddle and conference rooms, replaces opaque perimeter rooms to foster collaboration and maximize daylight into the building’s core.
Seeking to unite staff across three working floors, openings cut into existing slabs make way for a new central connecting stair, promoting physical activity and providing easy access to a new café and shared amenities.
AGU’s headquarters combats limited square footage in an urban environment with a custom mix of sustainable strategies–including the country’s first municipal sewer heat exchange system, PV arrays, a green roof, and a radiant ceiling cooling system–that together meet net zero energy standards.
Design: Hickok Cole
Photography: Eric Laignel, Devon Perkins
