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
| Jan 15, 2012
Smith Consulting Architects designs Flower Hill Promenade expansion in Del Mar, Calif.
The $22 million expansion includes a 75,000-square-foot, two-story retail/office building and a 397-car parking structure, along with parking and circulation improvements and new landscaping throughout.
| Jan 12, 2012
CSHQA receives AIA Northwest & Pacific Region Merit Award for Idaho State Capitol restoration
After a century of service, use, and countless modifications which eroded the historical character of the building and grounds, the restoration brought the 200,000-sf building back to its former grandeur by restoring historical elements, preserving existing materials, and rehabilitating spaces for contemporary uses.
| Jan 4, 2012
New LEED Silver complex provides space for education and research
The academic-style facility supports education/training and research functions, and contains classrooms, auditoriums, laboratories, administrative offices and library facilities, as well as spaces for operating highly sophisticated training equipment.
| Jan 3, 2012
VDK Architects merges with Harley Ellis Devereaux
Harley Ellis Devereaux will relocate the employees in its current Berkeley, Calif., office to the new Oakland office location effective January 3, 2012.
| Jan 3, 2012
Rental Renaissance, The Rebirth of the Apartment Market
Across much of the U.S., apartment rents are rising, vacancy rates are falling. In just about every major urban area, new multifamily rental projects and major renovations are coming online. It may be too soon to pronounce the rental market fully recovered, but the trend is promising.
| Dec 29, 2011
Seismic safety in question at thousands of California public schools
California regulators responsible for enforcing earthquake safety laws have failed to certify more than 16,000 construction projects in California public schools, increasing the risk that some projects may be unsafe, according to a state audit report.
| Dec 21, 2011
BBI key to Philly high-rise renovation
The 200,000 sf building was recently outfitted with a new HVAC system and a state-of-the-art window retrofitting system.
| Dec 20, 2011
Research identifies most expensive U.S. commercial real estate markets
New York City, Washington, D.C. and San Mateo, Calif., rank highest in rents.
| Dec 20, 2011
Aragon Construction leading build-out of foursquare office
The modern, minimalist build-out will have elements of the foursquare “badges” in different aspects of the space, using glass, steel, and vibrantly painted gypsum board.
| Dec 19, 2011
Chicago’s Aqua Tower wins international design award
Aqua was named both regional and international winner of the International Property Award as Best Residential High-Rise Development.