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October 26, 2021

Micki Washington Is Working to Normalize Office Interiors with Universal Design

Part of Metropolis’s Specify Hot List 2021, the regional leader of HOK’s WorkPlace practice in Houston believes the best-designed spaces are focused on their users.  

By: Chaseedaw Giles

Photography: Michael Starghill

For Micki Washington, regional leader of HOK’s WorkPlace practice in Houston, the best-designed spaces have always been those that are centered on their users. So when Washington asked herself which spaces people spend the most time using, the answer led to her current focus on office design. Pre-pandemic research shows the average person spending nearly 90,000 hours at the office over their lifetime. Washington decided it was important to know not only how they use workspaces but who they happen to be as individuals.

 When HOK received a brief from a client with a neurodivergent son that asked the firm to design areas that could accommodate people like him, Washington’s intense line of questioning sparked an innovative step: partnering with nonprofits, including Autism Speaks, to explore tools that could help diverse learners. “This is designing for inclusivity,” Washington says, “regardless of age, gender, or whatever their background is, and especially for the neurodivergent.” Spatially speaking, it also means incorporating disparate types of workspaces under one corporate roof. 

Coming up with inclusive solutions isn’t new to Washington, who serves as vice president of the Houston chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) in addition to her role as a regional leader at HOK. Washington also serves in a leadership role for the Houston chapter of the International Facility Management Association and is a founding member of the American Institute of Architects’ interior architecture committee. Those combined leadership experiences have heightened her determination to champion underrepresented views and sharpened her ability to amplify them in the design process. 

Micki Washington, regional leader of WorkPlace for HOK in Houston, also serves in leadership roles across the industry, including for the local chapter of the International Facility Management Association and as a founding member of the American Institute of Architects’ interior architecture committee.

In settings where diversity is lacking, Washington stays alert for ways to introduce inclusion. Much of her job revolves around building trust in client relationships and accurately translating client needs to the design team. “I try to respond within 24 hours, at least acknowledging receipt. That goes a long way,” she says, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging all voices on a project across the various teams. That way everybody’s at the table from the beginning, she says, adding that the key is to “listen more than you talk.” 

  • office interior
    Washington’s design process relies on an intense line of questioning to ensure her team’s design solutions are inclusive.
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