Akamai is the largest distributed platform operating at the edge of the Internet. On Nov. 1, it held a grand opening ceremony for the opening of its 19-story, 480,000-sf headquarters in Cambridge, Mass., which brings employees from six properties under one roof.
Those 19 floors are connected by the Akamile, a mile-long uninterrupted path that extends from the building’s street lobby to its highest floor. Sasaki was the interior designer of this building, and its vision for Akamile was to provide areas for socialization (from high-tech conference rooms to game stations), business, and seclusion, each of which is clearly denoted with colors and furniture specific to the workspace.
The goal of the space is to get employees to want to be in the office, as opposed to working remotely. “To connect the world, we must first connect to each other” was Sasaki’s mission statement for Akamai’s headquarters.
Greeters meet visitors coming into Akamai's two-story lobby.
To provide a personalized, welcoming experience, the building’s two-story lobby dispenses with a concierge desk in favor of greeters. The first three stories of the building are in “Akamai orange,” the top three in “Akamai blue,” and the rest in different color schemes that provide wayfinding for visitors as they step from the elevators. The color scheme is also meant as a directional signal to collaborative work areas.
(The color is bright in the Akamile, and subdued in workspaces. Brightness denotes when workers are in collaborative versus individual spaces.)
Sasaki developed a parametric interior design for Akamile, to generate an interconnected line pattern throughout the building. These color lines increase in spaces where connectivity and communal work are frequent.
Akamile is also used for programming. The Commons, on the third floor, includes an IT help desk, coffee bar, mail room, and supply room. Floor eight offers ping pong and pool tables, and the stairs double as shared seating. There are also moveable stairs that allow the floor space to be reconfigured.
The Building Team on this project included Boston Properties (developer and owner), Pickard Chilton (exterior design architect), Stantec (exterior AOR), and Turner Construction (interior CM). The interior construction exceeded $100 million, and Akamai has taken a 15-year lease.
At 19 stories, the headquarters is the tallest office building in Cambridge’s Kendall Square. The building includes Akamai’s new Network Operations Command Center, Broadcasting Operations Control Center, and Security Operations Center, where DDoS attacks are detected and mitigated.
The interior buildout of the 19-story headquarters cost more than $100 million. The building was designed to achieve WELL and LEED Gold certifications.
Akamai’s headquarters is shooting for WELL certification by next summer. All foods sold in the building will include at least 50% fruit or vegetable options. At least half of the food has grain flour as their primary ingredient. Nonpackaged foods will list their ingredients.
Over 70% of the building’s workstations are within 20 feet of a window. There are electronic sit-to-stand desks, and the interior is monitored for thermal comfort. Private spaces use fabric screens to absorb sound, and all spaces are designed to limit reverberations and provide proper sound levels relative to acoustics.
The building’s operations are designed to be water- and energy-efficient: A rooftop solar panel array provides more than 82,000 kWh per year of electricity. The building’s HVAC system features active chill beans (made in Massachusetts) that are expected to be at least 30% more efficient. The building will receive LEED v4 Gold core and shell certification.
Related Stories
| Oct 13, 2010
HQ renovations aim for modern look
Gerner Kronick + Valcarcel Architects’ renovations to the Commonwealth Bank of Australia’s New York City headquarters will feature a reworked reception lobby with back-painted glass, silk-screened logos, and a video wall.
| Oct 13, 2010
County building aims for the sun, shade
The 187,032-sf East County Hall of Justice in Dublin, Calif., will be oriented to take advantage of daylighting, with exterior sunshades preventing unwanted heat gain and glare. The building is targeting LEED Silver. Strong horizontal massing helps both buildings better match their low-rise and residential neighbors.
| Oct 12, 2010
Guardian Building, Detroit, Mich.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Special Recognition. The relocation and consolidation of hundreds of employees from seven departments of Wayne County, Mich., into the historic Guardian Building in downtown Detroit is a refreshing tale of smart government planning and clever financial management that will benefit taxpayers in the economically distressed region for years to come.
| Oct 12, 2010
The Watch Factory, Waltham, Mass.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards — Gold Award. When the Boston Watch Company opened its factory in 1854 on the banks of the Charles River in Waltham, Mass., the area was far enough away from the dust, dirt, and grime of Boston to safely assemble delicate watch parts.
| Oct 12, 2010
Building 13 Naval Station, Great Lakes, Ill.
27th Annual Reconstruction Awards—Gold Award. Designed by Chicago architect Jarvis Hunt and constructed in 1903, Building 13 is one of 39 structures within the Great Lakes Historic District at Naval Station Great Lakes, Ill.
| Oct 12, 2010
From ‘Plain Box’ to Community Asset
The Mid-Ohio Foodbank helps provide 55,000 meals a day to the hungry. Who would guess that it was once a nondescript mattress factory?
| Oct 11, 2010
HGA wins 25-Year Award from AIA Minnesota
HGA Architects and Engineers won a 25-Year Award from AIA Minnesota for the Willow Lake Laboratory.
| Oct 8, 2010
Union Bank’S San Diego HQ awarded LEED Gold
Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building located at 530 B Street has been awarded LEED Gold certification from the Green Building Certification Institute under the standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council. Gold status was awarded to six buildings across the United States in the most recent certification and Union Bank’s San Diego headquarters building is one of only two in California.
| Oct 6, 2010
Windows Keep Green Goals in View
The DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory has almost 600 window openings, and yet it's targeting LEED Platinum, net-zero energy use, and 50% improvement over ASHRAE 90.1. How the window ‘problem’ is part of the solution.
| Sep 21, 2010
New BOMA-Kingsley Report Shows Compression in Utilities and Total Operating Expenses
A new report from the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International and Kingsley Associates shows that property professionals are trimming building operating expenses to stay competitive in today’s challenging marketplace. The report, which analyzes data from BOMA International’s 2010 Experience Exchange Report® (EER), revealed a $0.09 (1.1 percent) decrease in total operating expenses for U.S. private-sector buildings during 2009.
