A little over two years ago, Leidos was preparing for the grand opening of its new global headquarters in Reston, Virginia, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and everything changed.
Leidos’ workforce went mobile, and events came to a halt — but the 275,000-square-foot facility designed for sustainability and employee wellness has stood the test of time.
March 2020 meant to mark the building’s completion and move-in, with an opening celebration fit for government officials, local county members and Leidos’ workforce alike. Instead, it was the beginning of the pandemic, global shutdowns and universal uncertainty. Only a very small select group could enter the new building for months to come.
Fast forward two years and a little change, and the intention of the building isn’t lost. Leidos’ headquarters embodies the spirit of the company — from its iconic purple to the overall theme of transparency and collaboration.
“When designing our headquarters, it was paramount to cultivate a comfortable atmosphere where employees felt encouraged to be creative and collaborative,” said Roger Krone, Leidos chairman and CEO. “As we continue to navigate the pandemic, technology installed throughout the facility enables workplace flexibility and enhances camaraderie among our global workforce, making us stronger than ever before.”
Perhaps the first thing seen when entering the building in the front lobby is the Evolve sculpture designed by Davis McCarty, which is, according to Leidos, the lightest and largest suspended dichroic sculpture in North America. The dichroic design is a nod to Leidos’ name — the center of the word kaleidoscope.
This design is also seen in the executive sculpture on the top two floors of headquarters. It’s supposed to remind employees to look at challenges from different vantage points, but it’s not the only design point with intent. In fact, these are found throughout the building and hold messages prudent to Leidos’ values.
Transparency
Noticeably different from Leidos’ previous headquarters is the new building’s ode to glass as a commitment to transparency. According to Leidos Head of Real Estate and Facilities Rob Scott, the glass walls create visibility, and new technology features facilitate collaboration among teams and convey the message that every idea is important, and all voices are heard.
Headquarters has over 100 fully wireless technology-enabled conference rooms. Plus, the same technology exists in every single meeting room so employees can easily connect with their peers inside and outside the building — an unknown foresight at the time considering today’s hybrid and remote work environment.
There are also cutouts and openings between floors to create a psychological connection between people on various levels of the buildings. In other words, various teams, departments and functions aren’t separated simply because they reside on a different floor. People can even talk through the holes with colleagues as they see them walk by above or below them.
This was intentional, so people can’t tell where HR stops and legal starts — collaboration isn’t prevented and employees don’t feel like they can’t cross to the “other side.”
And with the glass and lack of traditional walls, the new headquarters is also full of more than 20 intentional collaboration spaces. It boasts 17 floors and a rooftop space called the Apex for gathering, and the building can hold 1,400 employees. The Apex has views that reach the Washington Monument on a clear day and indoor and outdoor seating, and the cafeteria area has a coffee bar that doubles as a working café. The message in these spaces is clear: Collaboration is key.
Details that Matter
A trip around headquarters is full of subtle, yet deliberate, details. Employees can join Krone for bike rides around the area through a purple bike share program, explore the company’s history through a visual timeline shadowbox, learn what was put into a Leidos time capsule, find the purple guitar (another ode to Krone), give a presentation in a TED Talk-like mini amphitheater (Leidos calls it “Tech Talk”) and so on.
These details are meant to boost company culture and morale, and stress the meaning behind Leidos: to look at problems from multiple perspectives. Combining openness and collaboration with the Leidos brand reminds employees what the mission is and how to innovatively solve and architect solutions.
And this is apparent from the decor to the floors and ceilings. There is a diagonal component visible almost anywhere employees and customers look, reinforcing that things can be looked at differently. It’s not all 90-degree angles and white spaces, and the Leidos headquarters reflects that. When looking through a kaleidoscope, everyone sees different things.
A COVID-friendly Space
The design of the new headquarters was done prior to the pandemic, but it has been conducive to the peri-pandemic work environment. Scott said the real estate industry has been designing seats 6 feet apart as a standard for a healthy workplace as concern over various viruses and spreadable illnesses grew years ago, so seating didn’t have to be changed. A healthy work environment was always top of mind.
The larger conference rooms are also big enough so seats could be spread out when needed, and meetings that needed to happen in person could be done safely. Other than the addition of Plexiglass in certain areas, the design of the new headquarters was overall COVID friendly.
The collaborative technology Leidos implemented as part of its new facility was also helpful during the pandemic. Crestron, an automation solutions company, combines Microsoft Teams with Skype so employees can easily access collaboration tools in the office and at home. Ultimately, while the pandemic stalled the facility’s opening, the facility was well prepared for COVID-like conditions.
An Expansive Command Center
New to Leidos’ headquarters is a command center capable of monitoring facility security and cyber events. Leidos sets up command centers for customers, so it’s only right it has one for its own building. In fact, Leidos modeled its command center off the capabilities it provides to those customers.
For instance, Leidos helps the Federal Aviation Administration manage air traffic control to monitor where the aircraft plots are on a screen, where restricted areas are, weather patterns and so on. Leidos has also built command centers for companies to monitor cyber events and network activity. Now, it’s doing the same internally. The company even evacuated its employees working in Afghanistan on various programs using the command center with 24/7 onsite personnel monitoring their journey in real time.
Leidos also tracks events like extreme weather, cyber and social media as it may relate to company facility surroundings, safety or events. Plus, the command center connects to all Leidos sites around the world and even teleworkers’ locations while on the company network. Leidos even used the command center to monitor positive COVID cases. It’s a hub for ensuring people, assets, networks and facilities are safe.
Attracting Talent with Atmosphere, Culture, Collaboration
One of Leidos’ primary objectives when designing the new headquarters was to create a workplace that retains and attracts talent. Aside from what was built because of functionality, Scott said the design committee was first and foremost focused on the amenities and spaces that would foster talent acquisition, like the dollar coffee, free soda, balconies, pool table, game room with a PlayStation and so on. It’s all about making the office enjoyable in an environment people want to work in.
Think Silicon Valley-esque startup tech offices rather than traditional GovCon buildings around the Beltway. That’s what Leidos was going for. For instance, during the pandemic, Scott said a group of about 120 interns expressed their desire to “work for a company just like this.”
That’s what it’s all about, and this was done intentionally, just like the glass walls to welcome collaboration and the Leidos-specific designs to remind employees to think differently. Grand opening or not, the new facility remains prepared for the workforce and events of today and tomorrow, and dedicated to the historic values of Leidos.