In 2009, we were approached by Levi-Strauss & Co., who aspired to redefine their home office in San Francisco.  Like many other companies, Levi’s was faced with the need to become more efficient, and yet to accommodate future growth.  They also needed to create a home that spoke the core language of their brand.  Previously they have handled office space changes in an ad-hoc manner, based on outdated office planning concepts, ill considered furniture buying strategies, and an unimaginative sense of design and materials.  Their office buildings spoke nothing of the Levi’s culture, their corporate beliefs or their long history.  

We were asked to reprogram their space to move a projected population of 1600 staff from two neighboring buildings into one central 350,000 sq. ft.  building.  This necessitated a reconsideration of their workspace standards and workstation design.  Their existing offices also had another unique problem:  although they occupied a 1981 vintage HOK designed office building that was focused on space and energy efficiency and access to natural light and air (operable ribbon windows, terraced and planted accessible balconies, floor plate cut-outs, and a seven-story glass atrium), very few of the staff had access to natural light from their desks, and the maze-like plan and cubicle grid was disorienting and demoralizing.

anderson architects produced a plan based on the concept of cores and blades.  Expanded and well-programmed cores moved the density and privacy toward the inside of the building and left the perimeter open for workstation neighborhoods and flexible creative areas.   Studios now have access to balconies, operable windows, natural light, air and views of the San Francisco Bay.  No workstation is far from a window and all have a direct line of sight to the outdoors.

Levi’s needed a new simple and efficient workstation design that met their needs and spoke to their brand quality.  We considered mass-produced, off-the-shelf solutions, but anderson architects and Woodtech were able to come up with a workstation design that was cheaper, provided faster delivery, was more flexible, met levi’s specific requirements and was aesthetically “on brand.” The workstations featured reconstituted wood surfaces, wool felt pin-up surfaces, and energy efficient task lighting.  The office is more than just a place to work.  For over a thousand Levi’s staff these workstation became home.  Equipment [computers and phone] are tightly organized at the “private” end of the desk, while the opposite end is open and available to be used collaboratively for small working groups or impromptu discussions.  This creates an energetic and approachable creative environment throughout.  Now that the home office has been completed, Levi’s has decided to roll-out this workstation design globally for their offices worldwide.

As a leader in the American fashion industry, Levi’s, as a company, has to be current and intelligent.  Recruiting and retaining capable design and business talent is essential to their continued prospering.  While one of Levi’s prime goals was to focus their efficiency of square footage, the new design provided more collaborative “we” space, while cutting back on personal “me” space.  All was designed in a language of materials, quality and simplicity that speaks of Levi-Strauss &Co.

Levi’s is well-known for their rugged high-quality fabric, specifically denim.  Their architecture needed to share the same qualities, while also speaking to their history as part of the American West, and their Northern California origins.  [woods, redwood, western cedar, materials, chalk boards, chain link.  interior storefront, masonite, reconstituted wood, wool and cotton]  New insulation was in fact shredded, recycled Levi’s denim.  Scattered throughout the offices are “truth windows” where the denim blue wall insulation is exposed.

Construction began on the full renovation of Levi’s Home Office in January of 2010.  Because it would have been impossible to shut down operations, the logistics of renovating the fully occupied and operational headquarters were a challenge.  Levi’s facilities staff, DevCon construction, BAR architects and anderson architects framed a renovation procedure that involved gutting and constructing groups of floors, while departments were shifted, telecommuting was encouraged, and resources were shared.