The lease for 150,000 square feet has been renewed for a five-year term, starting January 1, 2011. The 61,000-square-foot parcel of space expires in February 28, 2014. McKinsey declined to say what the building's rental rate was. He did note that WRIT's overall occupancy by quarter end was 92.3%--a figure that includes this deal.

Indeed, WRIT has appeared to weather the recession fairly well, at least based on its occupancy levels and lease activity. According to its recent earnings report, its occupancy rate was 93% a year ago, and 92.6% in the Q4 2008. During the first quarter of the year, WRIT signed commercial leases for 235,000 square feet with an average rental rate increase of 11.1% over expiring lease rates, an average lease term of 3.6 years, tenant improvement costs of $4.81 per square foot and leasing costs of $4.07 per square foot.

Rental rates for new and renewed office leases specifically--as opposed to the average of its medical, office and retail holdings--increased 13.4% to $31.84 per square foot, with $16.03 per square foot in tenant improvement costs and $12.36 per square foot in leasing costs.

The World Bank's lease is also illustrative of the hard floor international or pan-national institutions also provide under DC's real estate market--much like the US federal government.

Earlier this year, in fact, the World Bank signed a 10-year lease for Brookfield Properties' newly redeveloped 1225 Connecticut Ave.--a 227,000-square-foot building. Brookfield had spent the last two years renovating 1225 Connecticut Ave.--a $32-million investment, which has been designed to meet Gold LEED standards. The deal, among other benefits, frees up Brookfield to focus on its other newly delivered buildings in the District.