The March Of Dimes Moves To New Headquarters Near Washington, D.C.

ARLINGTON, VA—Amazon isn’t the only big name company taking up residence in northern Virginia. The national nonprofit, March of Dimes, recently moved its headquarters from White Plains, New York to Crystal City, Virginia, to be closer the greater D.C. metro area.

The move to Crystal City (1550 Crystal Drive) was spurred by a $150,000 Economic Development Incentive (EDI) grant offered to the March of Dimes by Arlington County. According to a statement from County Board Chair Katie Cristol, the grant was given to March of Dimes for their legacy of inspiring work.

Originally founded by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1938, the organization focuses on advocating for the health of mothers and babies, and according to March of Dimes President Stacey D. Stewart, moving close to the nation’s capital enables the nonprofit to “remain at the forefront of this important work while collaborating more effectively with leading maternal and child health partners in the region.” A press statement further noted that the move was also made in order for the nonprofit to continue growing its diverse talent base and to establish a more centralized hub.

March of Dimes is so welcoming, open, and warm. They wanted to make sure that their members and their field officers felt welcome at their headquarters.

We recently sat down with Gavin Daniels, Principal and Co-Founder of Wingate Hughes Architects, the team behind the new headquarters, to learn more about the new location and the impact good design can have in the nonprofit sector.

What are your thoughts on Crystal City as the new location for March of Dimes? 

GD: March of Dimes chose Crystal City for a number of factors. I know that they looked for spaces in and around Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. They spent a great deal of time on the real estate search and ultimately chose Crystal City, which is now National Landing, first for its proximity to the airport. Being a tenant on the top floor of a building is tough to do anywhere in this area at an affordable rate. They were able to find that…and the concessions that JBG SMITH offered really aligned with the values and goals of March of Dimes.

It was refreshing to see a landlord in JBG SMITH who really believed in March of Dimes and their mission, wanted them in their community and made a commitment to the foundation as a whole. 

What is the importance of location for organizations in the nonprofit sector? 

GD: It can be a huge factor or no factor. I believe for March of Dimes as a nonprofit, the location was paramount. There are many associations that don’t get visitors and that are more externally facing. March of Dimes is so welcoming, open, and warm. They wanted to make sure that their members and their field offices felt welcome at their headquarters. The location near the airport, on the Metro, with good parking brought all of those elements together.

I think it is really important to note the March of Dimes made this commitment to Crystal City before the Amazon announcement. Their location in Crystal City puts March of Dimes in the center of one of the top areas in the country for both nonprofit organizations and economic growth.

What was the original concept for the project? 

GD: The concept, the driving idea for us was optimism.

It’s a space for March of Dimes that looks at the accomplishments of their past, the wonderful things they’ve done over the years, and casts a clear vision for what they will do in the future.

We developed a concept for the space that understands the modern woman. A modern woman is not one that needs curved walls and delicate ideas or finishes throughout the space. The modern woman is tough. March of Dimes even says it in their slogan, ‘give every baby a fighting chance.’ They’re saying fighting. That’s kind of cool. We believe in the strength of women, and of moms, and we wanted to design a space that represented that. 

The result is a space that has warm natural finishes, like the wood we introduced throughout the office with some edge, with a little bit of toughness too from the exposed concrete ceilings and some authenticity. We let the building tell us what it needed to be. In essence we’re talking about a theoretical concept of optimism and of really thinking about who March of Dimes represents. 

How long did the project take, concept to completion? 

GD: We began initial design back in December of 2017. March of Dimes moved in the first quarter of 2019. 

How many employees work at the national headquarters? 

GD: The office holds up to 155 employees in 24,204 square feet. The space features 25 offices and over 100 workstations to maximize the options employees have for where to get work done and give their team room to grow.

An emphasis was placed on creating a space that encourages collaboration across the office instead of siloing employees into quiet corners. One of the key things when we look at the number of employees is orientating the space in a way that provides the best area possible for both the folks in the workstations and in the open office concept.

We designed the workstations so the majority of employees get to enjoy the windows looking out on beautiful Washington, D.C. That was intentional and was something that we decided with March of Dimes that was very important.

What are some standout features of the new location? 

GD: The primary materials: Concrete. Steel. Glass. Wood. One of the first features you see is the wood lattice that surrounds the conference rooms down to the executive area. Stacey chose the pattern. It points to the unity and dynamics of sharp lines coming together to create something beautiful. 

The Hall of History: This is where we created an opportunity for March of Dimes to tell an array of stories. The Wingate Hughes team went up to New York to look through historical data, photos, and videos March of Dimes has put together over the years to incorporate in the office. These are the people who cured polio, created vital tests to measure the health of newborn babies, and worked to support those born with birth defects. We knew it would be important for the March of Dimes office to function as a source of inspiration for employees, keeping them focused on the why behind their work.

It’s why you’ll find imagery of real March of Dimes mothers and babies at strategic points across the office. We curated specific pieces of art that emphasize the beauty of motherhood through main hallways, to keep March of Dimes team members inspired —even during the in-between moments of their day. 

Family Room: I’ve been raising money for the March of Dimes for over 10 years. From experience, I know that that their events are often filled with emotion from sharing the powerful stories of the mothers and babies they’ve served. In a little corner tucked away at the front of the office, there’s a small room that creates space for people to go when they feel overwhelmed. That same room is where a family can go in and share their own story to add to the history of March of Dimes. 

The Pantry/Hospitality Area: The ability to host, entertain and make people feel welcome in their new headquarters was one of the number one requests of the March of Dimes team…It also features a 20-foot long island, which serves as a gathering place for employees and a place to host March of Dimes families and supporters from across the country. 

For more information, visit March of Dimes.

This post first appeared on Forbes.com. To see the original, click here.