Located in Bellevue, Wash., the new REI headquarters building will feature many opportunities for employees to get outside with courtyards, bridges, and open park space.
The eight-acre campus will feature nearly 400,000-sf of space spread across three buildings in the Spring District neighborhood. The landscape will become a seamless part of the public and private realms through a series of pedestrian connections, interior courtyards, and a large-scale roof deck. It will feature plants that celebrate the native and agricultural heritage of the area.
Courtesy GGN.
The buildings’ facades will include large windows and garage doors that can be opened to help bring the surrounding nature inside. Much of the outdoor space can be used for meetings on nice days and can also be combined, thanks to the roll up garage doors, with indoor space, giving employees options on how to work and attend meetings.
Interior workstations were made from oak butcher blocks in an effort to reduce waste. Reclaimed wood from dead trees and bridge beams was also used to make conference tables and chairs. The interior features an abundance of stairs, more than were necessary, so employees of the company that promotes an active lifestyle can get up and move around.
See Also: Decommissioned cheese factory becomes a contemporary art space
The Build Team also includes: GGN (landscape architect), KPFF (structural engineer), and JMJ (civil engineer).
Courtesy GGN.
Related Stories
| Sep 13, 2010
Triple-LEED for Engineering Firm's HQ
With more than 250 LEED projects in the works, Enermodal Engineering is Canada's most prolific green building consulting firm. In 2007, with the firm outgrowing its home office in Kitchener, Ont., the decision was made go all out with a new green building. The goal: triple Platinum for New Construction, Commercial Interiors, and Existing Buildings: O&M.
| Aug 11, 2010
CTBUH changes height criteria; Burj Dubai height increases, others decrease
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH)—the international body that arbitrates on tall building height and determines the title of “The World’s Tallest Building”—has announced a change to its height criteria, as a reflection of recent developments with several super-tall buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
BIG's 'folded façade' design takes first-prize in competition for China energy company headquarters
Copenhagen-based architect BIG, in collaboration with ARUP and Transsolar, was awarded first-prize in an international competition to design Shenzhen International Energy Mansion, the regional headquarters for the Shenzhen Energy Company.
| Aug 11, 2010
Jacobs, Arup, AECOM top BD+C's ranking of the nation's 75 largest international design firms
A ranking of the Top 75 International Design Firms based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
New air-conditioning design standard allows for increased air speed to cool building interiors
Building occupants, who may soon feel cooler from increased air movement, can thank a committee of building science specialists. The committee in charge of ANSI/ASHRAE Standard 55 - Thermal Environmental Conditions for Human Occupancy—after months of study and discussion--has voted recently to allow increased air speed as an option for cooling building interiors. In lay terms, increased air speed is the equivalent of turning up the fan.
| Aug 11, 2010
Architecture Billings Index flat in May, according to AIA
After a slight decline in April, the Architecture Billings Index was up a tenth of a point to 42.9 in May. As a leading economic indicator of construction activity, the ABI reflects the approximate nine to twelve month lag time between architecture billings and construction spending. Any score above 50 indicates an increase in billings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Free-span solar energy system installed at REM Eyewear headquarters
The first cable-suspended free-span solar energy system was completed today over the REM Eyewear headquarters parking lot in Sun Valley, Calif. The patented, cable-supported photovoltaic system created by P4P Energy is expected to generate 40,877 kilowatt-hours of renewable electricity per year, enough to power five to six single family homes and to prevent 1.5 million pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere.