This award-winning expansion, designed in collaboration with William McDonough + Partners, is an addition to an existing 109,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters.

In keeping with the client’s objectives, the ratio of the building’s three stories to its length and width are set to respond to the human scale. An inner courtyard links the new v-shaped building to the existing building. The courtyard, defined by three sides of the new building, is the plaza-like heart of the complex designed for outdoor gatherings both informal and formal. Programmed with as much care as the building’s interiors, the courtyard is a human-scaled composition of warm stone paving, water runnel, and fluid green space.

All of the major second and third floor spaces and the circulation routes linking them encompass the courtyard. The first floor cafe, Customer Briefing Center, and social interaction spaces all focus directly onto the courtyard. In addition to the visual connectivity between the building and its courtyard, double-wide doors allow full courtyard access from these spaces, transforming the courtyard ‘space’ into a true ‘place’ that simultaneously promotes occupants’ healthfulness. Bridges, balconies, and bay windows on the second and third level give occupants on the upper levels equal access to daylight, views and abundant fresh air, as well as the opportunity to engage with the rest of the building.