American Physical Therapy Association Headquarters

The new headquarters of the 100-year-old American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) makes an eye-catching, national statement about Physical Therapy’s emergence in the wellness space. As part of its commitment to empowering a healthy society through movement, APTA wanted its Centennial Center Headquarters to enable staff, visitors, and tenants to travel to-and-from the location using more active and sustainable modes of transportation. The association chose the burgeoning Potomac Yard neighborhood with direct access to a new Metrorail station and the Potomac Yard bike/run/walk trail. A unique entry sequence encourages cyclists to roll in off a public plaza and park their bikes within a “Bike Café" social amenity space that celebrates movement.

The Centennial Center also directly incorporates health, wellness, and sustainability into its workplace design, most visibly with its dramatic stairs that are active alternatives to elevators.  One stair, located on the building exterior, becomes an iconic billboard for movement while offering interior views down a half-mile stretch of Potomac Avenue. To boost employee collaboration, the APTA Centennial Center was designed with more open workspaces, a wide variety of huddle/meeting environments, along with multiple communal spaces, including a rooftop terrace. The project is LEED certified and has been awarded Fitwel's highest rating of three stars,  an acknowledgement of the Headquarters’ excellence in the health and wellness space.