NPR Headquarters

Creating an Unparalleled Studio Environment
Washington, D.C.

National Public Radio (NPR) had outgrown its previous facilities with employees scattered among three different offices in the Washington, D.C., area. Working closely with the developer, Boston Properties, and Hickok Cole Architects, we met with key stakeholders to plan and design the built-to-suit North Capitol Street facility from the inside out to meet NPR’s need for specialized working areas.

>33%

energy savings

The resulting LEED® Gold-certified 336,000-square-foot, seven-story facility includes a 110,000-square-foot parking structure, a two-story newsroom, broadcast facilities, recording studios, an operations center, office and administrative space, a 10,000-square-foot data center, a 2,400-square-foot performance auditorium, a full-service kitchen and staff cafeteria, a fitness center, and a stand-by power generation plant.

Background noise from the heating and air-conditioning system was a large concern because of the recording studio environment. We designed the appropriate mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems for both of NPR's base buildings and the interior spaces. We also added emergency power generators and redundant HVAC so that a power interruption would never be known to the studio occupants.

Owner

National Public Radio

Client

Boston Properties and Hickok Cole Architects

Square Footage

336,000

Cost

$3.3 million

Awards

2014 Award of Merit in Interior Architecture

AIA

Best Real Estate Deals of 2013: New Office Development

Washington Business Journal

Services

  • Engineering

Markets

  • Real Estate and Commercial Development

Regions

  • Mid-Atlantic