The structure’s owner and architect call it a “meditation room”— but that doesn’t seem to do it justice. It’s more of a pod. You might even argue it’s a cabin.
Whatever you call it, it’s in the basement of the building at 1110 Vermont Ave., NW “to attract, retain, and appease the younger workforce of today,” says Matthew Lefkowitz, a representative of the building’s owner, Epic. “We wanted to think in the Millennial mindset.”
With DC’s office vacancy rate at its highest point in decades, it’s not surprising that landlords are getting creative to keep occupants in place. Lefkowitz says the pod is also intended for napping and yoga (the building offers free classes inside it). It was designed by architect Gavin Daniels of Wingate Hughes, who also included a game area, conference room, and bar and lounge space in the basement.
Daria Hall, who works in the building at nonprofit America’s Promise Alliance, says her employer often uses the conference room and lounge, but she and her colleagues weren’t sure what to make of the pod: “We actually didn’t quite know what it was supposed to be used for. But it sounds like meditation—is that what you said?”
There should be no ambiguity about the landlord’s next move: free beer. Lefkowitz says they’re in the process of getting a liquor license so they can have a keg in the basement on Fridays.
Marisa M. Kashino joined Washingtonian in 2009 and was a senior editor until 2022.
