Project Files: UNCF in Washington, DC

IA designed a high-impact workplace and an interactive learning environment for a non-profit organization's relocation.

UNCF in Washington, DC. Photo by Adrian Wilson.

Non-profit organization UNCF is one of the oldest education advocacy and assistance entities in the U.S. Founded in 1944, it is dedicated to providing operating funds for its 39 member colleges, most of which are small, liberal arts institutions. UNCF also administers 400 scholarship and internship programs, so that students from low- and moderate-income families can afford college tuition, books and room and board. As stated in the organization’s tagline, “A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”

Photo by Adrian Wilson.

Photo by Adrian Wilson.

UNCF decided to further enhance their mission by moving their Headquarters from the suburb of Fairfax, Virginia to the center of Washington, DC. “UNCF moved into a new building in the Shaw Howard Corridor of Washington, DC, to demonstrate its commitment to the community, as well as for the convenient proximity to Howard University,” says Carol Doering, senior project manager with IA in Washington, DC. “IA strove to help UNCF connect to its surrounding community with an open floor plan, giving employees visual access to the neighborhood around them.”

Photo by Adrian Wilson.

A varied roster of of end users—employees, students, alumni, donors, and university supports—all utilize the new space. UNCF’s values of transparency, collaboration, and unity are physically supported throughout the space, which includes a gallery space to host events and rotating exhibitions.

Photo by Adrian Wilson.

IA is a global firm of architects, designers, strategists, and specialists. We focus exclusively on environments through the lens of interior architecture—a radical idea in 1984, when IA was founded. We are highly connected agents of change, committed to creativity, innovation, growth, and community.

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