flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

IBM’s former office buildings in Boca Raton turn into a modern tech campus

IBM’s former office buildings in Boca Raton turn into a modern tech campus

After sitting mostly empty, the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) is on its way to becoming a town center with retail and housing.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | August 17, 2022
BRiC ext 1
Courtesy CP Group.

Built in 1968, the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), at 1.7 million square feet, is the largest office campus in Florida. Marcel Breuer and Robert F. Gatje codesigned the buildings of BRiC for IBM, the campus’s first owner. In the 1980s, IBM developed, manufactured, and mass-produced its first personal computer at BRiC. 

For his brutalist design, with a façade repeating the same geometric pattern, Breuer took inspiration from the beauty he found in the repetitions of mass production. Designed for Florida’s tropical climate, the building features heavy concrete shading canopies over its glass windows to provide cooling and protection from the sun. The design also provides protection against hurricane damage such as floods. 

After purchasing BRiC in 2018, the building’s current owner, CP Group, has been transforming it from a mostly empty office building into a thriving tech campus. Added amenities include restaurants, art galleries, and coffee shops. CP Group also is in the process of rezoning from a light research and industrial park to a planned mobility development, which will expand BRiC to include office, retail, hospitality, and residential. Additionally, CP Group is pursuing a master plan to add retail, townhomes, and an amphitheater—turning the campus into a town center. 

Architecture firm CallisonRTKL has used a phased strategy to provide flexibility around the existing tenants and day-to-day operations while pursuing a ground-up enhancement. CallisonRTKL’s work includes the following:

  • Increasing the allowable floor area ratio from four to six and upping the maximum allowable development by 1,123,850 square feet
  • Reducing the setbacks from 50 feet to 20 feet 
  • Standardizing office planning metrics
  • Scaling the amenities, landscaping, and infrastructure in tandem with the development’s phases

On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: CP Group 
Design architects: Marcel Breuer and Robert F. Gatje
Architect of record: CallisonRTKL
Structural engineer: Jezerinac Group

BRiC ext 2
Courtesy CP Group.
BRiC ext 3
Courtesy CP Group.
BRiC ext 4
Courtesy CP Group.
BRiC ext 5
Courtesy CP Group.
Lakeside Patio
Courtesy CP Group.
Lakeside Patio ext 2
Courtesy CP Group.
Rocket ext
Courtesy CP Group.
Rocket ext 2
Courtesy CP Group.

 

Related Stories

Office Buildings | Feb 3, 2021

A towering helix will mark the spot at Amazon’s corporate headquarters in Virginia

The tech giant has invested $2.5 billion in a project that will encompass five office buildings for 25,000 employees.

Office Buildings | Feb 1, 2021

609 W. Randolph begins construction in Chicago’s West Loop Gate

Antunovich Associates designed the project.

Office Buildings | Jan 27, 2021

New creative office space completes in Silicon Beach

SPF:architects designed the project.

Office Buildings | Jan 19, 2021

Anchorage to receive new glacier-inspired office building

Perkins&Will is designing the building.

Laboratories | Jan 14, 2021

New hub for Danish robot developers unveiled

3XN designed the project.

Office Buildings | Jan 12, 2021

Epic Games purchases North Carolina mall to convert into new HQ

The video game company is currently valued at over $17 billion thanks to Fortnite, its massively popular battle royale game.

Architects | Jan 5, 2021

Ware Malcomb finds itself in the mix for multiple diverse projects

Its latest completion is an office/factory/warehouse combo for one of Marvin Window’s brands.

Giants 400 | Dec 16, 2020

Download a PDF of all 2020 Giants 400 Rankings

This 70-page PDF features AEC firm rankings across 51 building sectors, disciplines, and specialty services.

Giants 400 | Dec 3, 2020

2020 Office Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. office building sector

Gensler, Jacobs, and STO Building Group head BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest office building sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2020 Giants 400 Report.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category

Adaptive Reuse

Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, centerpiece of innovation hub, opens

The recently opened Michigan Central Station in Detroit is the centerpiece of a 30-acre technology and cultural hub that will include development of urban transportation solutions. The six-year adaptive reuse project of the 640,000 sf historic station, created by the same architect as New York’s Grand Central Station, is the latest sign of a reinvigorating Detroit.




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021