Archinect - News

NBBJ and ESI Design's newly renovated Nickerson Gardens Playground in Watts opens

2023-08-21T17:31:00-04:00

NBBJ shares details of its Nickerson Gardens Playground renovation project in the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles as part of a grand opening held on August 16th at the site, which forms the center of what is the largest American public housing development west of the Mississippi River.

The project is part of a larger $1 billion redevelopment of the Nickerson Gardens public housing tract that was first designed by Paul Revere Williams in 1955. Along with the 17,656-square-foot renovation, the new life breathed into the site will also include a fitness center, new slides, a carousel, and other brightly-colored children’s play equipment from Kompan.

Project image render courtesy NBBJ.

Completed project build. Image courtesy NBBJ and photography by Ty Cole.

NBBJ designed the project pro bono alongside its East Coast experience design studio ESI Design and with the incorporation of a community feedback process that was led by the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles (HACLA). Red...

First phase of Amazon HQ2 has been completed in Arlington, VA

2023-06-21T11:51:00-04:00

Phase 1 of the Amazon HQ2 has been completed in Arlington, VA, which includes the newly-created Met Park and rooftop terraces designed by James Corner Field Operations. The park is part of a broader $2.5 billion headquarters featuring buildings by NBBJ and ZGF Architects.

Image credit: Michael Zhao

According to the design team, the new Met Park “draws inspiration from the area’s natural context and reinforces the trend reshaping our cities with green infrastructure and pedestrian networks.” Over 50,000 plants and 160 native species are contained in the park, alongside public art commissions by Nekisha Durrett, Iñigo Manglano-Ovalle, and Aurora Robson.

Image credit: Michael Zhao

In addition to the park, over two acres of landscaped roof terraces have been created within the Phase 1 buildings of Amazon’s headquarters, which were designed by ZGF. Features within the rooftop terraces include rocky outcrops, gardens, an urban farm, and “p...

Amazon hits the brakes on its new HQ2 headquarters project (for now)

2023-03-03T17:06:00-05:00

[...] the company’s decision made public on Friday to pause plans in Virginia — about four years after Amazon pulled out of its campus in New York — is the latest reminder that the tech industry’s long boom has slowed. [...] The pause will affect PenPlace, the second and larger stage, which would build a mix of office towers, open space and a signature, spiraling glass building Amazon calls the Helix.

The move comes after Amazon reported its first unprofitable year since 2014. The helix-shaped, $2.5 billion biophilia-lined PenPlace design had only been greenlit in August and is contracted to NBBJ. Amazon had said its construction would cost another $5 billion. The company began cutting some 18,000 workers beginning in January. Former CEO Jeff Bezos’ net worth, meanwhile, is still growing by a reported $2.25 billion per week.

“Our second headquarters has always been a multiyear project, and we remain committed to Arlington, Virginia, and the greater Capital Region — which includes investing in affordable housing, funding computer science education in schools across the region, and supporting dozens of local nonprofits,” Amazon Global Real Estate and Facilities VP John Schoettler said in a statement. “We appreciate the support of all our partners and neighbors, and look forward to continuing to work together in the years ahead.”

NBBJ will lead the redevelopment of Paul Rudolph’s Hurley Building at Boston Government Center

2022-08-31T11:13:00-04:00

NBBJ has been selected by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to lead the redevelopment of Paul Rudolph’s iconic Charles F. Hurley Building at the Boston Government Service Center.

The move was announced last week after years of speculation as to the fate of Rudolph’s endangered Brutalist follow-up to his Yale School of Art & Architecture building from 1963. NBBJ will add two glazed towers to the site directly on top of Rudolph’s Hurley Building, while Beyer Blinder Belle is on tap for the interior renovations of the extant structure.

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker called it a “transformative redevelopment” that would “add much-needed housing, and boost the Commonwealth’s world-class life sciences sector.”

Image courtesy Leggat McCall Properties/NBBJ

As part of the deal, developers Leggat McCall says the remade site will include some 350,000-square-feet of government offices at no cost. The existing central plaza area will be transformed by the local landscaping firm Mikyoung Ki...

New Amazon HQ2 gets green light from Arlington County officials

2022-04-27T14:31:00-04:00

Amazon will begin transforming an undeveloped swath of Arlington County into the largest piece of its second corporate headquarters [...] County lawmakers on Saturday unanimously endorsed the expansion of Amazon’s footprint at the 10.4 acre site in Pentagon City, known as PenPlace. Plans include three corporate office buildings, retail pavilions, a futuristic glass Helix, a child-care facility and about 2.75 acres of open space.

Designs for the second phase of Amazon's $2.5 billion Arlington HQ2 campus, including its much-debated tree-covered and helix-shaped centerpiece tower, first appeared on Archinect in February 2021. Updated designs were released by the company and its architect NBBJ later that year.

Previously on Archinect: Amazon updates design for its $2.5 billion headquarters project in Arlington, Virginia

Amazon updates design for its $2.5 billion headquarters project in Arlington, Virginia

2021-11-10T12:25:00-05:00

An updated version of PenPlace, Amazon’s forthcoming suburban DC headquarters dubbed ‘HQ2,’ has been released by the company showcasing a series of design changes that were the result of an eight-month feedback process from the local community in Arlington, Virginia.

The company said they were working to meet the requests of Arlingtonians that will eventually make the new buildings more accessible and architecturally diverse.

Rendering by NBBJ

“We appreciate the ideas and have made changes to enhance the overall connectivity of the site,” an Amazon statement read. “We also incorporated additional sustainable elements and more greenery into the design, and diversified the architecture within PenPlace. These updates make the entire project even better, benefitting our neighbors and all those that will visit HQ2.”

Rendering by NBBJ

The statement detailed changes made to the facades, material, and envelopes of all three buildings, all of which will feature increased biophilic design eleme...

Amazon HQ2 to feature a tree-covered swirling glass tower, 'The Helix'

2021-02-02T16:10:00-05:00

Amazon has unveiled the latest design plans for the second phase of its $2.5 billion Arlington HQ2 campus. The proposal for the PenPlace site includes three 22-story office towers, several smaller buildings, a 250-seat outdoor amphitheater, public green space, and a fourth 350-foot swirling glass tower as the development's centerpiece.

Dubbed The Helix, the tree-covered structure utilizes a similar 'biophilia' concept as the company's The Spheres HQ in Seattle — both designed by NBBJ.

Image courtesy of NBBJ/Amazon.

According to this Amazon project statement, "the Helix at our Arlington headquarters will offer a variety of alternative work environments for Amazon employees amidst lush gardens and flourishing trees native to the region."

Image courtesy of NBBJ/Amazon.

"A true double helix in shape and structure, this unique building will feature two walkable paths of landscaped terrain that will spiral up the outside of the bu...

NBBJ designs massive "Net City" in Shenzhen for Chinese internet provider Tencent

2020-06-22T12:10:00-04:00

NBBJ has been selected to design Net City, a 2 million-square-meter master-planned district along Shenzhen's Dachanwan Port for Tencent, the largest internet company in China. The concept for Net City builds on the idea of an urban environment as an interconnected, human-focused organic ecosystem.

"Inter-connected, integrated, organic and welcoming, Net City is designed to be a place where people can dream, come together as a community to connect and create new possibilities for the future," said Jonathan Ward, a Design Partner at NBBJ in a statement.

Tencent's current properties and office space cannot accommodate its rapid growth and in 2019 the internet giant held an international competition to develop a master plan for the 320-acre peninsula along Dachanwan. NBBJ was ultimately selected amongst the participants for its innovation approach to the Net City concept, which puts humans as the forefront.

"A typical city calls for simplistic and efficient zoning to keep everything und...

NBBJ has acquired ESI Design, an innovative experience design studio

2020-02-06T14:09:00-05:00

International architecture and design firm NBBJ announced today that it has acquired experience design studio ESI Design. In joining one another, NBBJ and ESI Design will be able to capitalize on their multidisciplinary team to introduce digital experiences earlier in the design process, giving clients a more streamlined service offering.

"By integrating the design of architecture and dynamic digital experiences, we will create boundless opportunities to energize the places we live, work, and play to stimulate our senses and inspire discovery, learning, and impact," said Steve McConnell, FAIA, Managing Partner of NBBJ in a statement. "The acquisition of ESI Design brings this vision to life and increases NBBJ’s ability to serve our clients as they activate their brands, create community, inspire wellbeing, and thrive."

Founder and Principal Designer at ESI Design Edwin Schlossberg also said: "We are at an exciting moment in time where the diverse skillsets of digital designers, med...

Seattle's new Rainier Square Tower topped out at 850 feet

2019-08-23T15:18:00-04:00

[...] the Erection Co. topped out Seattle’s 850-ft-tall Rainier Square Tower, with its radical composite steel frame dubbed “speed core,” in only 10 months. Steel erection began last October in the lowest basement. The retail-office-residential building is on course for substantial completion next Aug. 13, according to Andy Bench, project manager for the developer, Wright Runstad & Co.

The NBBJ-designed Rainier Square Tower recently became Seattle's new second-tallest skyscraper after construction height passed 772 feet. Now its developer, Wright Runstad & Company, also celebrated the structure's official topping out at a height of 850 feet.

Today we celebrated the Rainier Square Topping Out in Seattle! Everybody involved with the project signed the final beam and after a couple speeches, it was raised up and fitted into its spot. A great milestone for Rainier Square! pic.twitter.com/YC4mkEK7ZP
— Wright Runstad & Co. (@WrightRunstad) August 15, 2019

"The core, surrounded by a conventional steel frame, consists of a modular sandwich system of cross-tied steel-plate walls, field-filled with concrete," explains Engineering News-Record the unusually fast construction method. "The modules were fabricated by the Supreme Group. The system requires no rebar and no formwork."

Final completion of the 1.7-million-square-foot mixed-use tower is scheduled for mid-August 2020.

...

Seattle's second-tallest skyscraper is almost complete

2019-08-01T20:38:00-04:00

On Friday, as construction crews added another layer of steel to the building, the skyscraper passed 772 feet, the height of Seattle’s former second tallest building, 1201 Third Avenue. Construction crews are expected to top out Rainier Square Tower at 850 feet later this month, according to a spokesperson for Wright Runstad, the building’s developer. Columbia Center, at 937 feet, is the only building taller in Seattle.

NBBJ-designed Rainier Square Tower will be a 1.7-million-square-foot "mix of ground-floor retail, underground parking, 722,000 square feet of office space, and 200 luxury apartments." Upon completion, it will become the seventh-tallest building on the west coast.

Amazon reverses plan to move into under-construction Seattle tower

2019-03-04T19:06:00-05:00

Amazon is abandoning a prominent downtown Seattle office project 10 months after it threatened to do so if the city imposed a new business tax. [...] Amazon confirmed Wednesday it will not occupy the 722,000 square feet it had leased in the Rainier Square tower under construction at Fifth Avenue and Union Street. The lease was one of the biggest in Seattle history — enough space to hold at least 3,500 employees and perhaps up to 5,000.

Sounds familiar, said Long Island City.

Aerial view of construction progressin February 2019. Image: Rainier Square.

Designed by NBBJ, the 58-story mixed-use Rainier Square tower is currently under construction right next to Minoru Yamasaki’s famous Rainier Tower in downtown Seattle and will win the title of second-tallest tower in the Pacific Northwest once finished next year.

Rendering of the 850-foot (260-meter) tall tower at night. Image: Rainier Square.

The "tectonic bravery" of NBBJ's Nanjing Eco-Tech Exhibition Centre

2017-05-18T14:11:00-04:00

Symbolizing mountain ranges in architecture has the potential for a dramatic, iconic payoff, especially when the materials used to do so play an integral role in the interior experience of the building (think: the fabric peaks of the Denver International Airport, which allude to the Rocky Mountains and Native American settlements while providing ample natural light). NBBJ's Nanjing Eco-Tech Exhibition Centre manages not only to reference the Zhong and Stone Mountains with its eight-peaked, light cannon rooftop, but also represent the economic ascension of Nanjing itself.

Each peak drives light through the four principal floors of the structure, weaving instances of what the architects describe as "tectonic bravery" throughout. This bravery becomes the signature characteristic of the structure. While the Exhibition Centre lists a typical compliment of sustainable 21st century amenities (roof garden, integrated water retention and distribution, natural ventilation, responsive facades,...

Forget ball pits – Amazon is growing over 3,000 plant species to fill its new downtown Seattle HQ

2016-07-19T17:33:00-04:00

the spheres will be packed with a plant collection worthy of top-notch conservatories, allowing Amazon employees to amble through tree canopies three stories off the ground, meet with colleagues in rooms with walls made from vines and eat kale Caesar salads next to an indoor creek. [...] “The whole idea was to get people to think more creatively, maybe come up with a new idea they wouldn’t have if they were just in their office,” said Dale Alberda, the lead architect on the project at NBBJ

While the benefits of greenery for employee productivity is well established, and any good tech company needs to play up the "serendipity machine" game, Amazon is taking this to an architectural level:

The spheres will have meeting areas called treehouses, and suspension bridges high off the ground that will be just wobbly enough to quicken the pulses of employees who walk over them. “Amazon said, ‘Make this fun,’” said Mr. Alberda, the architect.

Clerkenwell Design Week 2016 - Top Picks

2016-05-24T10:43:00-04:00

It’s that time of year when London's design district opens its doors to the public for Clerkenwell Design Week and shows the rest of London and the design industry what it has to offer. An impressive showcase of distinct and accomplished talent the three-day event spans; furniture and product design, interior design as well as architecture. This year’s event includes over 120 spaces and directly engages 100 local businesses.

For its seventh year the team have employed the help of local architects OMMX to create a new masterplan that navigates visitors and links eight temporary exhibitions as well as commissioned installations.

With so much creativity on show we thought we would make a few suggestions. Here are Archinect's top recommendations:

Open Showrooms - open throughout the festival

Domus
50 Great Sutton Street
EC1V 0DF

Frövi
Broad Yard
Turnmill Street
EC1M 5RR

Herman Miller
102-108 Clerkenwell Road
EC1M 5SA

Knoll
91 Goswell Road
EC1V 7EX

Morgan
1 Dallington Street
EC1V 0BH

Exhibitions...

NBBJ's VR venture: Managing Partner Steve McConnell and John SanGiovanni, co-founder of VR firm Visual Vocal, on Archinect Sessions One-to-One #23

2016-05-16T15:01:00-04:00

Today's podcast guests are NBBJ Managing Partner Steve McConnell and John SanGiovanni, co-founder of Visual Vocal, a new company bringing virtual and augmented reality systems to the architecture industry. As an investor in Visual Vocal, NBBJ plans to foster the company in all of its design processes, using its collaborative platforms to communicate among designers, clients, and users, at all stages of project development. With a beta program launching this summer, Steve and John gave me a taste of how NBBJ plans to use the service, why it invested in the company in the first place, and how ubiquitous VR stands to dramatically change the architectural process.

Listen to One-to-One #23 with Steve McConnell and John SanGiovanni:

iTunes: Click here to listen and subscribe to the new "Archinect Sessions One-to-One" podcast
SoundCloud: click here to follow Archinect
RSS: subscribe with any of your favorite podcasting apps via our RSS feed: http://onetoone.libsyn.com/rss
Download: this episode...

NBBJ is launching its own VR platform with the help of ex-Microsoft entrepreneurs

2016-04-28T18:22:00-04:00

NBBJ and Visual Vocal will leverage current-generation VR and augmented reality (AR) systems, with a near-term focus on mobile VR platforms for optimal accessibility and scale. While a number of firms in the design industry have examined the promise of VR, this partnership marks the first instance of an established design firm incubating a VR startup inside its own offices and developing new tools to improve decision-making and remove waste from the design process.

NBBJ proposes 3 moving walkways to replace London's Circle Line

2015-09-11T05:50:00-04:00

Instead of relying on a subway that breaks down and causes interminable delays, what if the 17 miles of London's Circle Line were replaced with three moving walkways, much like the ones in airports, that allow pedestrians to step on at three miles per hour and then amble over to a fast lane of 15 miles per hour?

According to James Pinkerton, an architectural assistant at the London office of NBBJ which proposed the idea, the travelators would be easier to maintain than a traditional train system precisely because of its three separate walkways. If one broke down, the "two further lines would run smoothly," forming a ceaseless band of movement that wouldn't need to pause for stops or be held up by one solitary malfunctioning train. Travelers could simply walk on and walk off.

"We came up with this idea that benefits the city as a whole," he explained to me in a brief phone interview. Pinkerton was also part of the NBBJ team that created the shadowless tower, which was designed from a s...

Kaiser's anemic new Oakland hospital leaves us a bit ill

2014-07-15T15:48:00-04:00

"I have absolutely no doubt that Kaiser Permanente's new hospital in Oakland is a big step up from its predecessor in terms of the facilities offered to patients and their loved ones. But in terms of how it looks and feels outside - even by the dismal standard of recent American hospital design - the stocky compound that opened last week is enough to make you sick."

NBBJ's biosphere design for Amazon Seattle HQ becomes even more organic

2013-08-22T21:43:00-04:00

Updated designs have surfaced for Amazon's new headquarters in downtown Seattle. Instead of the biospheres' uniformly diamond-shaped supporting structure (compare with previous renderings), the new images we just received from the project's architects, NBBJ, show a much more organic web of struts, described as "Catalan spheres."

NBBJ designs biospheres for Amazon's Seattle headquarters

2013-05-21T18:44:00-04:00

Reminiscent of a greenhouse or conservatory, the three intersecting biodomes replace an earlier plan for a six-story office building and would establish a visual focus and “heart” for the three-block project, according to plans filed with the city. The spheres will offer “a plant-rich environment” filled with species from mountainous ecologies around the globe, chosen for their “ability to coexist in a microclimate that also suits people,” according to the plans.

NBBJ Appoints Tim Leberecht Chief Marketing Officer

2013-05-08T08:43:00-04:00

NBBJ, a global architecture and design firm, today announced that it has appointed Tim Leberecht as its Chief Marketing Officer. Leberecht joins NBBJ from Frog Design where he led the marketing organization from 2006 to 2013 and helped transform the company into one of the world’s foremost design and innovation consultancies. He will direct NBBJ’s worldwide marketing, business development and communications from the firm’s San Francisco office.

“We’re thrilled to have Tim joining us,” said NBBJ managing partner Scott Wyatt, FAIA. “With his experience positioning Frog Design at the forefront of design innovation, and his continuing mission for brands to provide value, he’s exactly the person we were looking for as our first-ever chief marketing officer. His presence here underscores our ambition to become a leading force in transforming human experience and business performance through design.”

“I’m honored to join a firm with such a strong legacy, ethos and ambition,” said Tim...

NBBJ to design embedded outdoor spaces for Samsung's Silcon Valley facility

2013-01-28T15:22:00-05:00

Steve Jobs talked about his connection to the outdoors. So we said, 'Let's take that approach. Let's make sure every employee has access to the outdoors within one floor.' So we took a series of two-story buildings and stacked them on top of each other, and put gardens in between them.

Open Doors form Open Minds?

2012-03-19T14:07:00-04:00

The architects often walk clients through it to show how an open environment works. There’s not a private office or cubicle anywhere, and there’s constant low-level hubbub: people in motion, and gathering into small groups. The tour makes some clients nervous; they wonder how their own workers would concentrate in such an environment.

Lawrence Cheek examines new trends in office designs which focus on providing employees room to roam and thus to think. Specifically, he looks at three examples the Seattle offices of Russell Investment, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters as well the offices of the architectural firm be hind the first two examples, NBBJ which occupies two 38,000-square-foot floors of a midrise office building it designed in 2006.