McCarthy Wilson, LLP moved its current practice from a historical building in Rockville to the top floor of a new LEED Certified Gold building. There were two major challenges in this design. The first was to integrate the law firm’s desire for classical design elements, along with their existing Queen Ann style furniture, with a new state of the art building with no reference to historical design. Second, was to design a space to meet LEED CI (Commercial Interior) Gold within the tenant improvement allowance.

Since the base building is rated LEED Gold all existing mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, as well as, base building finishes met the minimum criteria for meeting many LEED CI credits. As part of the design, private offices were built along the window line with glass in-filled wood doors allowing natural light to flood the open work station areas. LEED Credits were also met by specifying Energy Star appliances, specifying materials that are sustainably harvested, have recycled content, and by using low VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) finishes. Most of the furniture was brought from the existing space. The material and color choices blend together traditional design into a modern setting integrating the old with new.