Overview

A law firm approaching their 100th anniversary, Covington & Burling used this move to build on their institutional strengths while looking forward to the future. The design of the new, 450,000 sf office space cultivates firm history, simultaneously embracing new ways of working and providing flexibility for future change.

Expression of the project mission began with Covington’s selection of the new CityCenterDC, a six building mixed-use urban center. Covington occupies 80% of CityCenterDC’s two adjoining office buildings. The decision to anchor this emerging development exemplifies Covington’s investment in creating community, while the change in location allowed a complete re-think of the work environment.

The vertical organization and visual transparency supports connection of each employee to the whole. It allows lawyers to see each other, and to comprehend the firm as a single, interconnected entity. Employee movement has increased dramatically since the move, promoting teamwork and cross-practice integration.

Process

Implementation

“I think the office that we moved into is emblematic of a willingness to embrace creative change. This was a deliberate way to change the way we work together. And there was quite a significant embrace of that idea and not simply being rooted in the past. There was a proud tradition of the firm. I wanted to identify those strengths and improve upon them.”

--Timothy Hester, Global Managing Partner