All it takes is one glance at Billund, Denmark’s newest office campus to quickly identify which company will be taking residence there. Fully equipped with giant LEGO bricks on the roof and integrated into the facade, LEGO Group recently opened the first phase of its new campus, which, when completed, will span 581,250 sf and house 2,000 employees.
Designed by C.F. Møller Architects, the two buildings were inspired by a painting in Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen’s (the LEGO Group owner) office of a boy holding up a building he made with LEGO bricks. The goal of the design was to express LEGO Group’s core values of imagination, creativity, fun, learning, caring, and quality.
The interior space is highlighted by colorful textured walls resembling LEGO bricks and decorated with LEGO creations of familiar faces such as Spongebob Squarepants, Winnie the Pooh, and LEGO “minifigs” dressed as firefighters, police officers, etc. And while the spaces look like all fun and games, they were designed to help employees produce their best work.
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“In the same way you build with LEGO bricks, we took elements our people love and brought them all together to create something unique,” said Anneke Beerkens, Senior Workplace Anthropologist, LEGO Group, in a release. “For example, employees told us that they wanted the freedom to choose an environment that suited them best for whatever they were working on, but also liked to stay close to teammates. So we built team ‘neighbourhoods’ which are a mix of individual and collaborative workspaces designed to create a caring environment where people can do great quality work.”
Sustainability was also a key tenet of the design. 4,150 solar panels cover the roof of a nearby parking garage and produce more than 1 million kWh, which will supply half of the energy needed to power the campus. Additionally, the new buildings’ rooftops are covered with Sedum plants, which absorb water and CO2, and rainwater will be used to irrigate parks in the campus area.
The full eight-building campus is slated for completion in 2021. A large central area, dubbed the “People House” will feature a large auditorium, fitness center, arts and crafts workshop, cafe, and accommodation for employees visiting from out of town.
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