Expedia, the online travel company, unveiled designs for a new waterfront headquarters that will be inspired heavily by Pacific Northwest scenery.
The company will move across Lake Washington in 2019, relocating from Bellevue, Wash., to Seattle.
Plans include repurposing four existing lab buildings and constructing a 600,000-sf four-story office building with large glass curtain walls. The windows will provide views of Elliott Bay, Mt. Rainier, and the Olympic Mountains.
Enhancing outdoor space is a key to the project, as the complex will have a courtyard, spacious campus lawn, and outdoor work and recreation areas.
“Although these are early designs, we are very excited about the direction our campus is heading and feel that it brings together all that we are—a leading technology company revolutionizing the world of travel with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest,” Dara Khosrowshahi, President and CEO of Expedia, said in a statement. “This will be an environment that will help us retain and build a world-class team of diverse, talented and passionate employees as we continue to grow.”
Construction will begin in late 2016. The campus was designed by the Seattle office of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, along with Studios Architecture and PWP Landscape Architecture. This is just phase 1 of the development project; two more tentative phases could bring an additional 730,000 sf of office space.
(Click renderings for larger views)
Visitors to the Expedia campus will enter the courtyard, which will accommodate a range of activities, including visitor arrival and drop-off, all-hands meetings, outdoor meetings and recreation.
The Expedia campus lawn to the west of the courtyard is a natural landscape designed to maximize views and allow for a diverse array of outdoor events, exercise and activities overlooking Elliott Bay.
Expedia will repurpose the four existing laboratory buildings into new open workspaces overlooking the campus lawn towards the Puget Sound.
The Expedia Nexus, a four-story atrium located between the new building and the first of the repurposed former laboratory buildings, will accommodate multiple activities including company meetings, dining, special events, and socializing.
Designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson in conjunction with Studios Architecture and PWP Landscape Architecture, Expedia's Seattle campus design reconfigures the former Amgen campus to meet the aspirations and needs of a global travel company.
Expedia's Phase I plans include new construction, the adaptive reuse of the existing buildings, and the development of outdoor green spaces. Areas for potential future development (Phase II or III) could occur on the northwest and southeast portions of the site and are noted in black outline.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Jul 15, 2015
BIG’s design for Philadelphia Navy Yard defies gravity
Ground has broken for 1200 Interpid, a 94,000-sf office building designed by BIG that appears to be leaning.
High-rise Construction | Jul 13, 2015
Herzog & de Meuron’s triangle tower stirs controversy in Paris
The 590-foot glass pyramid building will include a 120-room hotel, 754,000 sf of office space, and cultural facilities.
High-rise Construction | Jul 7, 2015
Bjarke Ingels designs Frankfurt skyscraper with a surprise in the middle
Several levels in the center of the 185-meter tower are shifted outward to allow for terraces with city views.
Office Buildings | Jun 30, 2015
'What’s the latest trend in workplace design?': How architects and designers should answer this hot-button question
Hint: Your response must be better than a laundry list of solutions, according to VOA Associates' John Varholak.
Museums | Jun 28, 2015
Manhattan's New Museum debuts first museum-led incubator space
Part studio, part shared workplace, part lab, and part professional development program, NEW INC connects design with technology, the arts with the market, students with seasoned practitioners, and the museum with the world.
High-rise Construction | Jun 23, 2015
The world's best new skyscrapers for 2015
One World Trade Center and Abu Dhabi's Burj Mohammed Bin Rashid Tower are among the four towers named Best Tall Buildings by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
Office Buildings | Jun 18, 2015
How tech firms use real estate for competitive advantage
The tech sector is the top industry leasing office space in the U.S., accounting for 20% of major leasing activity in 2014. Dina Belon of Paladino and Company shares how these firms are using their real estate to go up against their competitors.
Office Buildings | Jun 17, 2015
Daniel Libeskind unveils 'talking towers' design for Rome development
The scheme will drastically change the Eternal City’s skyline: three angular towers that look like they’re “in conversation with one another.”
Office Buildings | Jun 12, 2015
Houston's energy sector keeps office construction humming
Colliers International projects continued expansion this year in its quarterly report on national office market.
Office Buildings | Jun 11, 2015
Pop-up tree-office opens in London borough of Hackney
London's Hackney borough welcomed a new kind of workspace to Hoxton Square—the TreexOffice.