The United States Institute of Peace Headquarters combines public facing education and conference facilities with private research spaces and offices where scholars can pursue issues of peace and conflict resolution. The design of the building positions three discrete office blocks organized around two shared atria, fanning out from a corner entrance--with one atrium facing the Potomac River and the other facing the Lincoln Memorial. The Institute has become a national symbol of peace on the Capitol's skyline, expressing lightness, transparency and openness.

Located at the corner of 23rd Street and Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC, the United States Institute of Peace Headquarters occupies the northwest corner of the National Mall, opposite the Lincoln Memorial. As the organization’s first permanent home, the Institute’s headquarters is specifically designed to support the critical mission of international conflict management. The program includes administrative offices, research facilities including a library and an archive, a conference and negotiation center, and an interactive educational center dedicated to the theme of peacemaking.

The headquarters has a dual life. On the one hand, it is a very public building. It incorporates ceremonial public spaces, an education center, a public space, a conference center, an auditorium, press rooms, and the like. On the other hand, there are more private, contemplative spaces, including a research center, where scholars can pursue their studies and prepare to share information throughout the world. The building has two entrances and two centers of activity, focusing on the distinct public and private roles of the institute.

• Collaborators

  Buro Happold Consulting Engineers: Structural Engineers/MEP Engineers/Sustainability
  Balmori Associates: Landscape Architects
  HM White Site Architects: Landscape Architect of Record
  Wiles Mensch Corp: Civil Engineers
  Schnabel Engineering: Geotechnical Engineers
  LAM Partners: Lighting Consultants
  Seele, Inc.: Glazing and Roof Design Assist
  

• Awards

  LEED Gold Certified, US Green Building Council, 2012 (first certified building on the National Mall)
  
  IALD Award of Excellence, International Association of Lighting Designers, 2012
  
  GE Edison Award, General Electric, 2011

• Clients

  United States Institute of Peace

• Cost

  US $125 million