Intelsat headquarters

3400 International Drive (also known as Intelsat Headquarters) is an office complex in the North Cleveland Park neighborhood of Washington, D.C. by the Van Ness metro station.

Known for its futuristic and high-tech architecture, it was designed by the Australian architect John Andrews[5] and built by Gilbane Building Company to be the U.S. headquarters of the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization (Intelsat).

[10] Ultimately, they held a competition through the International Union of Architects to design a new energy-efficient building in which at least 70% of the office space had natural light and a view of the outside.

[17] Unusual for the time, but in line with the nascent environmental aesthetic, the design incorporated energy efficiency such as the use of tinted-glass sunscreens and the open-air atria that admit sunlight while reflecting direct sun.

[14] Also, the complex incorporates interior and exterior water features for cooling and terraced roof gardens to complement the large trees preserved by the site plan.

[18] Intelsat was the initial occupant, but after its privatization in 1999[19] and its later mergers with PanAmSat, COMSAT and parts of Loral,[20] its continued presence at the site has been uncertain.

[4] As of 2005[update] it had been studied by the Historic Preservation Section of the D.C. Office of Planning as a potential landmark of Modern architecture,[26] but a 2011 architectural-historical review of the area as part of the University of the District of Columbia's student center construction planning found that Intelsat was not old enough for landmark status and was a "visual shock" to the neighborhood, given its arguably inappropriate design and sitting for an urban area.

Aerial view of the complex
The Connecticut Avenue entrance