Pillsbury Relocates Washington, DC Office

WASHINGTON, DC— Effective today, Pillsbury has moved its Washington, DC office from 2300 N Street, NW in the West End to a newly constructed building at 1200 Seventeenth Street, NW in the Golden Triangle district.

Pillsbury occupies 101,000 of the 168,000 leasable square feet, consisting of the majority of the first floor as well as the top six floors of the building. In addition, Pillsbury has prominent signage on the building exterior.

The building, which is owned by Akridge and its investment partner, Mitsui Fudosan America (MFA), was designed to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED^®) Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED is the nation’s preeminent program for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. Only designs that meet LEED's exacting criteria for sustainability in materials and construction, ecological and atmospheric quality, and efficiency in power and water can receive the endorsement. LEED design benefits include savings in utility costs and a healthier work climate.

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca Architects LLP (ZGF) was the architect of the building, and Balfour Beatty Construction served as general contractor.

Pillsbury retained Lehman Smith McLeish (LSM) to design its space. LSM’s bright, elegant and environmentally sustainable design comprises an array of features to help Pillsbury enhance its service to clients, including:

• an exclusive state-of-the-art first floor multi-purpose room accommodating up to 163 people in auditorium-style seating, featuring a “video wall” equivalent to two 113” HD monitors mounted side-by-side;
• a conference center located on the top floor of the building containing 10 conference rooms with video conferencing capability and accommodating 120 people and housing the main reception area;
• flexible, open and transparent practice floor plans supporting integrated practice teams and the cross-selling of legal services; and
• environmentally friendly lighting and energy systems.

"As a result of a detailed planning process that began in 2010, we were able to design a next-generation home for Pillsbury's Washington, DC office, which meets not only our space needs, but also provides us with all the tools necessary to practice law at the highest levels in a rapidly evolving legal environment. Our technology infrastructure, office layout and operational systems were all designed with the goal of serving our clients more efficiently and effectively," said Jeffrey Grill, Office Managing Partner.

Representatives from Pillsbury worked closely with Akridge, ZGF and Balfour Beatty to influence key design decisions regarding the building, including lobby design, parking and elevator capacity, and the reliability and redundancy of major building and Pillsbury systems including power, cooling and technology. General contractor and Pillsbury client, Clark Construction, joined the team to lead the build out of Pillsbury’s space. Savills Studley served as Pillsbury's real estate advisor.

"We could not be more pleased with our experience during the development and construction of our new office," said Jeanine Elgin, Director of Administration for the Washington, DC office. "We worked with a wonderful team who helped us create a functional, beautiful and environmentally friendly space. The building and our new office space is truly a showcase for their exceptional work.”

Pillsbury Chair Jim Rishwain added: “Near the heart of all three branches of government, our Washington, DC office is vital to our clients, particularly as the role of government in business continues to grow. We have the regulatory and public policy capabilities centered in our Washington, DC office, which are essential to our clients’ success. As we open a new chapter at 1200 Seventeenth Street, NW, we will continue to expand our DC resources and help our clients mitigate risk and maximize opportunities as they look to the future.”

About Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pillsbury is a full-service law firm with an industry focus on energy & natural resources, financial services including financial institutions, real estate & construction, and technology. Based in the world's major financial, technology and energy centers, Pillsbury counsels clients on global business, regulatory and litigation matters. We work in multidisciplinary teams that allow us to understand our clients’ objectives, anticipate trends and bring a 360-degree perspective to complex business and legal issues—helping clients to take greater advantage of new opportunities, meet and exceed their objectives and better mitigate risk. This collaborative work style helps produce the results our clients seek.