Bureau of Reclamation

Working through the GSA Design Excellence Program, IA helped align decision-makers in Denver and Washington through design-build collaboration, lean construction, and pull planning. A universal five-foot module coordinates walls, lighting, and mechanical distribution with the existing waffle-slab ceiling. The system gives 11 departments room to adapt while simplifying future change and protecting security, privacy, and acoustic performance. Private offices move behind glass at the center, opening the perimeter to workstations and 360-degree views. A raised floor distributes power and data efficiently. Together, these moves increase capacity from roughly 800 to 1,040 employees without sacrificing the quality of the workplace.

Reclamation’s mission provides a clear identity for a complex, multi-department environment. Graphics based on water movement bring an organic counterpoint to the structural grid, while floor-specific colors and rising waterline patterns make elevator lobbies easier to recognize and navigate. Central breakrooms, collaboration areas, meeting rooms, and social settings create useful intersections among departments that previously operated more independently. The experiential layer does more than decorate the workplace: it clarifies orientation, reinforces public purpose, and helps a larger population feel connected to the agency’s work. This durable federal workplace is planned to support evolving teams and technologies for two decades.