Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Atlantic Council Opens Brand New Headquarters

The Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) has recently announced the opening of its new headquarters.

The new address of ACUS is 1030 15th St., NW, Washington, DC, in a building called The Executive Building.  The think tank used to be located just up the block, at 1101 15th St., NW.

Here is how the Lincoln Property Company describes the building:
With exquisite materials and classic detailing, The Executive Building is refined and welcoming. The 332,000 square-foot building's high-performance facade of energy-efficient metal panels and low-E glass projects confidence and sophistication, and its limestone and black granite portals create a human scale at the street–level elevation. In the evening, spotlighting dramatically highlights the building’s contemporary architecture, including its exceptional corner balconies on the top two floors. Structural glass canopies signal the major points of entry at 15th Street and L Street, and graciously welcome tenants and visitors into the stunning main lobby.

According to a presentation on the move, ACUS moved at the end of July and is located on the 12th floor of the building.  By the end of 2013, ACUS plans to expand to the 10th floor.

In December 2011, the Executive Committee of ACUS adopted "Growing Better," a new strategic plan that concluded the think tank required infrastructure and investments, including the office move, in order to be ambitious about impact, according to the presentation.

The new headquarters apparently has the capacity to host more than four simultaneous events.  Think Tank Watch will not miss the cramped event space at the old headquarters...

ACUS is not the only think tank on the move.  The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is preparing to move to its new headquarters next month, and the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will be moving to think tank row in the future.  The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) recently moved to its new headquarters at 1152 15th Street, NW.  It has previously been at 1301 Pennsylvania Ave., NW.

As seen by these recent and upcoming moves, many think tanks have been able to save and/or raise significant amounts of money to secure fancier headquarters, despite the economic downturn in the US and other countries.

ACUS was recently ranked as the 17th best think tank in the US by the annual University of Pennsylvania think tank rankings.