BIG has unveiled the design for a new headquarters building for Farfetch, a luxury online fashion platform. The purpose-built “fashion village” will be built on the slopes of Leça River in Porto, Portugal and is part of the larger Fuse Valley site. Fuse Valley, also designed by BIG, will feature 24 buildings that will be home to various tech companies, startups, and services.
“Rather than a corporate office complex, Farfetch’s future home in Fuse Valley will be a lively urban ensemble bringing every curator, creator, customer and collaborator together in the most innovative new neighborhood of the city,” said Bjarke Ingels, Founder and Creative Director, BIG, in a release. “The urban fabric will allow Fuse Valley to grow and expand organically, like a natural village.”
The Farfetch project will feature 12 interconnected buildings that each represent the various elements of the company’s organization, with the design of each space tailored accordingly. BIG’s design will amplify the exchange of ideas between the different aspects of the organization and create new opportunities for the approximately 3,000 Farfetch employees based in Portugal, visitors, and locals.
SEE ALSO: New resort will be carved directly into a mountainside
Fuse Valley as a whole is organized around plazas, parks, and courtyards that are landscaped and programmed to connect the indoors with the outdoors. Individual buildings rest on a series of urban terraces connecting the main road to the east with the Leça River to the west. Along the central arrival axis, an urban alley will open all the way from the street to the river. It will feature all the major public programs and amenities along the riverfront of Farfetch, including lobbies, an academy, an auditorium, a canteen, and wellness facilities.
The project will be a manmade extension of the hillside. The roofs of the new buildings will rise and fall to create peaks and valleys with slopes and terraces providing employees with open spaces to enjoy breaks and host gatherings. Paths will extend from the landscape to the roofscape, creating flexible way finding for people to move around the complex.
Facades will recede at the ground flow to expand the public realm and create natural canopies to welcome visitors. The chamfered corners of the buildings will merge to create archways and openings between the courtyards that will act like canvases for different artistic expressions. Atelier-like attics with additional ceiling heights and open mezzanines will be created by the sloping roofs of the buildings. Open connections extend from the attic mezzanines all the way to the ground to create visual and physical connectivity across all floors.
The interior of all the buildings will prioritize an immersion in nature and provide a biophilic environment that will increase productivity and wellbeing. The vegetation will also provide a naturally shaded and cooled environment.
The Farfetch HQ project is slated to break ground in early 2023 and open in 2025.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Oct 9, 2023
A coastal California city reawakens its downtown
The Prado West mixed-use redevelopment gives Dana Point a new look.
Mixed-Use | Oct 5, 2023
Mixed-use pieces supporting a master plan in North Carolina fall into place
Near Chatham Park, a new multifamily housing community follows the opening of a shopping center.
Contractors | Sep 25, 2023
Balfour Beatty expands its operations in Tampa Bay, Fla.
Balfour Beatty is expanding its leading construction operations into the Tampa Bay area offering specialized and expert services to deliver premier projects along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Mixed-Use | Sep 20, 2023
Tampa Bay Rays, Hines finalize deal for a stadium-anchored multiuse district in St. Petersburg, Fla.
The Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it has reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf.
Adaptive Reuse | Sep 19, 2023
Transforming shopping malls into 21st century neighborhoods
As we reimagine the antiquated shopping mall, Marc Asnis, AICP, Associate, Perkins&Will, details four first steps to consider.
Resort Design | Sep 18, 2023
Luxury resort provides new housing community for its employees
The Wisteria community will feature a slew of exclusive amenities, including a market, pub, and fitness center, in addition to 33 new patio homes.
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 31, 2023
Small town takes over big box
GBBN associate Claire Shafer, AIA, breaks down the firm's recreational adaptive reuse project for a small Indiana town.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 115 Architecture Engineering Firms for 2023
Stantec, HDR, Page, HOK, and Arcadis North America top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture engineering (AE) firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
2023 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the nation's largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms
A record 552 AEC firms submitted data for BD+C's 2023 Giants 400 Report. The final report includes 137 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Giants 400 | Aug 22, 2023
Top 175 Architecture Firms for 2023
Gensler, HKS, Perkins&Will, Corgan, and Perkins Eastman top the rankings of the nation's largest architecture firms for nonresidential building and multifamily housing work, as reported in Building Design+Construction's 2023 Giants 400 Report.