Story

Choice Hotels decided to relocate its Rockville headquarters to the newest addition at the Pike & Rose development in North Bethesda: 915 Meeting Street. Encompassing 100,000 square feet across five floors, this was a fast-paced and complex buildout. The project covered floors six through nine and part of the 10th floor. The building itself was still under construction by a base building contractor when the project started. Our schedule was May through October, and they did not get their final inspections until August. The final inspection process slowed things down significantly as the mechanical, sprinkler, fire alarm, and electrical systems all had to be shut down intermittently for weeks. The elevators were also under construction and frequently went out of service and we weren’t given access to the terrace to do our portion of work until August. The build-out itself required very high-end, coordinated details between millwork panels, custom light fixtures, and specialty flooring. There were long lead material delays for the CRAC units, the rooftop dry cooler, and the AHU that sits on the 5th floor which caused extensive overtime work to ensure all were functional and commissioned prior to inspections in order to meet the schedule. The client also changed design decisions mid-project, so rand* and architect HYL had to work through those changes together to make sure all the materials met the schedule and design intent. Three additional holes had to be cut into the building exterior for additional access to the terrace where we installed planters, a pergola, and an AV system. The 6th floor had a 16’ deck and 12’ ceilings so most of the materials had to be boom lifted onto the terrace because they wouldn’t fit in the elevators. There was an extensive custom lighting package throughout the space. There was also a special executive office wing on the 9th floor with a broadcast studio, sound-proof boardroom, and executive offices. That entire area has additional security. The 6th floor is the main floor with long wood veneer panel walls starting in the elevator lobby and cascading out into the open area leading to the MPR. This area includes the hospitality area with a specialty millwork “history wall” that shows off details from Choice’s past and has a water vapor fireplace. Finally, floors seven through nine all had a similar “typical” layout but differed in finish colors and concepts as each matched a different Choice Hotels subsidiary design.