Gensler Transforms an Outdated Lobby into a Collaborative Hub

We all multitask. Increasingly, so do building lobbies: Nowadays, activated spaces with hospitality-style amenities add value and can help attract tenants. Ergo Gensler’s renovation of 4300 Wilson, a 2003 office building in Arlington, Virgina, where the lobby experience has been extended to include a fitness center in the back and a conference lounge on the floor above, 17,000 square feet in all. The entrance now features a sculptural street canopy that continues inside, its multifaceted semiorganic form achieved with WoodSkin, a technology that gives rigid laminate the flexibility of a textile. “Its warmth draws people into the building,” principal and design director Mariela Buendia-Corrochano explains. In reception, the eye-catching element touches down to create a bench and cocoon a seating area before flowing into the elevator lobby and on to the gym beyond.

Behind the Lobby Design of 4300 Wilson