A cool learning space: design conveys vision at the Center for Association Leadership's new Marriott Learning Complex - Center for Association Leadership

T+D, July, 2002 by Haidee E. Allerton

First, there's the wave table. It swoops around in the executive boardroom--or, "un-boredroom" as the architects refer to it--and can accommodate 25 or so people. The concept behind this continuous, curving form is that there's no power seat--everyone at the table is considered to have an equal voice--and that ideas should flow as freely as the table's perimeter. It's an impressive expanse, with portals here and there to hook up a laptop.

But Susan Sarfati--president and CEO of the Center for Association Leadership--wants to make sure you know it's not just about the space; it's about the vision.

"It goes way beyond the physical facility," says Sarfati. "It's a gathering place for the education programs we provide, but at the core is our desire to create a diverse community of professionals who work in associations--and those interested in learning about and working with associations--so they can share their knowledge and experiences.

"Our goal is to develop the leadership potential of people who are employed in associations. We're part university, part think tank--a place for people to explore new ideas, discover what s next in the association profession, and push the edge of the envelope. And to help people become strong leaders in the industries, professions, and social causes they serve."

She adds, "We're also trying to brand associations because the world doesn't know about associations, and that's disturbing."

Still, the space cannot be denied. It is a (can we use the word cool?) very cool space: open and flowing, with almost-translucent surfaces and doors that pivot rather than open. The effect is energizing yet calming. The landscape is dotted with computer kiosks, where you can stop, stand, and get online to search the Web or check your email at the office while you're attending a program or meeting at the complex. In addition to offering education programs, the complex facilities--which opened November 2001 in the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C.--are available for rent to outside organizations.

It takes a whole village

In addition to the First Union Executive Conference Room(3) where the wave table resides, there's another gathering room--the BDO-Andrew Lang Learning Forum(2)--with round tables for sessions and discussion groups. Other venues include the Atlantic Video Internet Studio(7) with Webcasting capabilities ("We're in the e-learning business," notes Sarfati); a coffee bar and lounge(1) where people convene on breaks; and the Knowledge Center(4)--combining a library, computer research lab, and small-group brainstorming area.

The diverse areas are designed to accommodate various group sizes, configurations, and learning objectives. Plans are in the works for a display of the center's picks of best technology(8)(9), such as PDAs, cell phones, and the like. In the reception area, the Atlantic City Association Showcase(6) displays the work of various associations one association at a time, by invitation and for no fee. By now, you're probably catching on that neatly every feature of the complex is sponsored by a corporation or an association. One-third of funding came from association professionals out of their own pockets or on behalf of their associations and the rest from suppliers and partners of associations.

Then there are the (can we use the word cool again?) very cool chairs--like La-Z-Boys gone IKEA. Big armchairs built for speed, or at least mobility, as they're on wheels so you can move them at will to form impromptu conversation pits.

The conceptualists of the Center for Association Leadership told the architects, Chicago-based VOA Associates--which Sarfati claims (jokingly) stands for "Very Outstanding Architects"--that they wanted a space where people would be "free to think about new ideas and not be confined by the past. Sarfati says that she wanted people to come to the complex to get in touch with how they feel about association work. "In my opinion," she says, "because associations represent almost every industry and cause, they can have a tremendous impact on society"

Robert V. Reis, vice president and design director of VOA (Washington, D.C. and Arlington, Virginia branch), says that VOA met with several groups of planners and took the center's vision into deep consideration, but that it was Sarfati's comment that she wanted something "unlike any other place" that became the designers' mantra. The result is a design that exemplifies and honors the association community's desire and need for interactive, high-impact learning experiences, retrieval and dissemination of knowledge, and nurturing of association innovators and leaders--innovative, nonconventional thinking in an innovative, nonconventional space. The complex's flexible, unassuming, surprising, and seamlessly flowing spaces--and unique and unusual materials--reinforce the notion that this is a place to suspend preconceptions, entertain new ideas, and venture to new places. The center also engaged branding experts to come up with its theme, "Learn, Lead, Succeed!"