Media Room
FOX Sweeps NAIOP MD/DC Chapter Awards
April 23, 2010
Washington, DC (April 22, 2010) – On Thursday, April 22, FOX Architects
received three NAIOP MD/DC Chapter design and marketing awards at the
annual Awards of Excellence Gala, making FOX the most award winning firm
of the evening. The award winning projects were: 1129 20th Street
(Award of Excellence: Best Urban Renovation); Widmeyer Communications
(Award of Merit: Best Interiors 10,001 – 25,000 sf); FOX Architects
Block Party (Award of Excellence: Firm.)
“We're honored to be
recognized by our industry peers for design excellence and innovation in
marketing. These accomplishments are a testament to the caliber of
talent we cultivate at FOX and a reflection of our core values and
culture, said Bob Fox, Founding Principal.
1129 20th Street is
located in the center of Washington, DC’s central business district,
specifically located on the East Side of 20th Street between L and M
Streets, NW. The building is unique as a free-standing structure
located in a dense urban fabric. The original eight-story structure was
built in 1968 and had no significant upgrades since its construction.
It originally contained 136,000 gross square feet and two levels of
below-grade parking. Through the use of Transferable Development
Rights, the building was increased in height two floors. Additionally,
open courts at three corners of the existing floor plate were filled in
at every floor. All together, this increased the existing size of the
building by 45,000 square feet.
Widmeyer Communications is a full
service public relations, media and public affairs firm with a self
described “fiercely independent” character. Located in FOX’s
award-winning 1129 20th Street project, the client wanted to express
their independent and progressive culture in a manner that was creative,
yet reflected the professional nature of their work without a creating a
design that would become dated quickly. Through multiple visioning
sessions held with senior staff, the design team developed the design
theme: “Urban Professional,” which mirrored Widemeyer’s vision and
goals.
FOX Architects’ Block Party was the grand finale of a
nearly seven week marketing blitz for the Commercial Real Estate
Industry. The goal of this event was to “build community” during this
economic downturn and facilitate a team strengthening event within the
industry. The Block Party also partnered with a local charity, Martha’s
Table and donated over 50,000 LEGOS to their Bridge Program. In
addition to providing the LEGOs to their program, the FOX team also
spoke to the children about the architecture profession and answered
their questions regarding careers in design.