7.17.14 | Washington, DC | FOX Architects, LLC, an award-winning architecture and interior design firm, received top honors at the International Interior Design Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter’s (IIDA-MAC) 2014 Design Awards. The firm’s design for the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) headquarters earned the Gold Award in the “Commercial, 20,000 – 100,000 sq. ft.” category, as well as Pinnacle Award, the IIDA-MAC’s overall top prize. This is FOX Architects second Pinnacle Award in the last four years. The NEI project was a strategic collaboration between FOX Architects and Wingate Hughes Architects.

NEI hired FOX Architects to help refresh the Institute’s brand and create a headquarters that embodies its vision: Clean Air Energy. Inspired by a visit to the Calvert Cliffs nuclear reactor facility in Maryland, the 50,000 SF space reflects both the clean precision of nuclear power – the space is unified by blue accent paint and LED light inspired by the Cherenkov Effect – but also the warm, collaborative nature of the communities that grow around nuclear plants – referenced in ample shared spaces.

The FOX Architects team balanced collaboration and privacy by intentionally creating smaller private offices and shifting more square footage into larger collaboration spaces. Glass walls help open up and illuminate the office area, which connects to the highly flexible conference center and central “NEI-borhood Café” through an enclosed staircase constructed of steel, glass and floating terrazzo treads.

The Design Awards (also known as “The Premiere” in the design industry) gathers area design professionals to recognize members’ achievements and to encourage new ideas in the design of interior spaces. Awards are decided by a team of Professional IIDA members from a separate chapter, demonstrating to the public the availability of design excellence in local firms.

“We’re honored to be recognized by our fellow designers and industry peers,” said Bob Fox, Founding Partner. “Our goal is always to enliven a space with the personality and vision of its occupants, and especially in the case of the NEI headquarters, I believe this award is well-deserved. Congratulations to our team.”

A complete list of all 2014 award recipients can be found on the IIDA’s website.

About FOX Architects, LLC:

Ranked among the Largest Design Firms in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, FOX Architects is an award-winning firm of Architects, Interior Designers, and Graphic Designers with offices in Washington, DC and Virginia. Our portfolio highlights our expertise in commercial office design and architecture at the local and national level. Our multi-disciplined design approach seamlessly incorporates both our base building architecture and interior design capabilities. The partnership of these two disciplines ensures that each project will be conceived and constructed from the inside out, and the outside in. For more information visit us online at www.fox-architects.com and follow us on Facebook and Twitter @FOXArchitects.