Adobe’s McLean Office Brings Silicon Valley to the Nation’s Capital

Adobe prides itself on the creativity and innovation of its products, and we also aim to incorporate those very same values into our many office locations around the globe, including at our McLean, Virginia office that is situated next door to the nation’s capital. When designing the office, we wanted to incorporate the company’s personality by bringing a Silicon Valley vibe to Washington, D.C., and infuse the inspirational design and aesthetics that reflect the vibrancy of our brand.

First and foremost, the office is a workspace, and Adobe’s aim was to build an environment that fosters a creative, innovative and collaborative culture that is so core to our company. We created numerous community spaces and open offices to keep it comfortable for our staff. We believe that employees do their best work when they feel inspired, creative, and at ease, and that leads to better business results.

We also wanted to build something that reflected key stakeholders who are representative of the Public Sector. During the planning phase, we opened up the process by assembling a team of Project Ambassadors from the employee population to partner with the project team. We worked together to design and program the space. What resulted was a unique workspace with plenty of elements that reflects the DC region and the Public Sector community. Right where you enter the office, there is a full wall graphic of the U.S. Capitol. Scattered throughout the office are conference rooms named after former Presidents, or even their Secret Service code names (for you to guess which President it belonged to).

Another purpose was to have a welcoming space for our customers. We built a state-of-the-art conference and training center that contains over 10 rooms of various sizes, a large training room, a break area and even social spaces.

Of course, no office would be complete without some traditional tech space fun like a popcorn machine and a game room, where employees can take a quick break in front of an Xbox and a large flat screen TV.

Being located so close to Washington, D.C. means employees benefit from the area’s numerous museums, events, and cultural activities. The office is also located near shops in Tysons Corner, where Adobe employees have seemingly limitless options for lunch, retail, and entertainment. Tysons Corner Center is the region’s largest shopping mall, and the ninth largest in the US.

The Tysons Corner office location facilitates travel to and from destinations in the DC region. The office is within an hour drive of three major airports, Ronald Reagan Washington National (DCA), Dulles International (IAD), and Baltimore/ Washington International Thurgood Marshall (BWI). The extensive presence and reliability of the DC Metro system give employees a great alternative to driving. Many of our employees get to enjoy a reverse commute away from downtown Washington, cruising into suburbs while the traffic jam into the city crawls on the other side of the highway.

Given its proximity to the capital, the office sees a decent number of notable visitors, including leading government officials and policymakers, who come to learn about how Adobe is helping government agencies provide better digital experiences to citizens and how to improve government technology.

Whether it is hosting a political luminary or working every day to help governments improve citizen experiences, Adobe’s McLean office provides that perfect mix of creative inspiration and collaborative spirit that brings people together to spark innovation.