Overview

The new headquarters for General Dynamics is nestled within a 22-acre mature wooded site in Northern Virginia. The building was conceived to encourage chance encounters among the team, and the cross fertilization of ideas such connections encourage. Individual offices are modularly at the upper levels and enclosed by transparent glass partitions and open directly to collaborative areas, allowing views across the building.
The more ‘public’ conference, boardroom, and dining areas are organized at the lower levels with seamless connection to the outdoor program areas, integrating the functions of the building with the landscape.
Vertically, the program areas are organized by a six-story atrium that serves as the lobby at the ground level and allows views from one floor to another. The openness and transparency in the design allows natural light to penetrate into all work areas - brightening the organizing atrium - while from within the building, team members have uninterrupted views to the mature forest outside.
The concrete and travertine building is understated, with elegant but durable finishes, expressing the company’s legacy while also thoughtfully showcasing the expansive collection of contemporary art.

Process

Implementation

The headquarters is the result of a 20-year relationship between the corporation and LSM. The ambition of this new project was to create a building that acted as a catalyst for open communication and set a new standard for transparency among its business units around the world.

Developed with a globally recognized team of consultants, partners, and fabricators, the headquarters manifested itself with minimal impact on the site, carefully preserving the mature woodland. In the early planning stages the team performed a series of careful analyses to identify the ideal location for building within the forest; taking into account access from the surrounding road network, view and sound challenges from the adjacent highway, maximization of sunlight and connection to nature, protection of the wooded areas, stormwater management, and potential for future development.