NBBJ

The bold and the beautiful. No, it’s not the title of a new soap opera but instead the words that best describe 2024’s crop of world-changing architecture, according to CNN Making the list is Keppel South Central, a 33-story tower defined by an abundance of green space and cutting-edge sustainability measures.

Featuring verdant roof terraces, a sheltered canopy and plaza containing shops, cafes and restaurants that is open to the public, and an airy outdoor swimming pool, the high-rise also features rooftop-mounted solar cells and a rainwater capture system, making it one of Singapore’s most sustainable—and striking—office developments. https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/10/style/new-buildings-architecture-2024/index.html

BlackRock’s Headquarters wins an Interior Design Magazine Best of Year Award! The new workplace, which wins the “Extra Large Corporate Office” category, unites its NYC employees under one roof for the first time. Soft curves, sweeping forms and an attention to craft and detail create a calming backdrop for employee collaboration. The design showcases a simple, refined materials palette of warm woods and a gentle reflection of nature's blues, greens and ochres. https://www.nbbj.com/work/blackrock-headquarters

As demand for life science construction increases in some areas, vacancies are high in others. Does lab design ignore this fluctuation? Or can it evolve as real estate needs change?

At NBBJ, we believe buildings should evolve with the speed of research, which is why we created the Regenerative Lab. The Regenerative Lab can accommodate new research over time or morph into entirely new uses like residential. This hyper-flexibility is enabled by the concept's cross-laminated timber and steel structural system and its modular design.

Want to see how it works? NBBJ Design Partner Jay Siebenmorgen shares more about the Regenerative Lab here. https://www.nbbj.com/ideas/the-regenerative-lab-a-building-that-evolves-with-the-speed-of-research

Ahhh the open road! Fresh air, wide vistas and....endless asphalt without vegetation? This Kerouacian vision of the freeway is outdated. Instead, what if we transformed the millions of untapped square feet along these roads into living landscapes? NBBJ Principal and landscape architect Tony Murry offers ideas to repurpose highway shoulders into wetlands that filter freeway runoff, create space for solar and wind energy harvesting and provide green connections to local walking trails.

On the Road: Rethinking America’s Freeways—and the Space Alongside Them | NBBJ The open road, a long stretch of highway ahead, nothing to the left or right except a smattering of plants and perhaps some roadside debris. Is this Kerouacian vision of America’s freeways romantic, or outdated? What if the underutilized space alongside America’s freeways could be repurposed int...

The curtain (wall) is lifted on Amazon.com’s MetPark! The first phase of the company’s HQ2 in Arlington, VA, officially opens to the public! With a design concept based on Virginia greenhouses and a nod to the historical nature of Washington, DC, the project features reeded glass, arched forms, and wainscoting, as well as textures and tones that evoke connection and warmth. Amazon’s workspaces start on the second floor with the “Centers of Energy,” a variety of alternative work points that aim to connect Amazon employees to one another and the outdoors through design elements inspired by hospitality and the comforts of home. Read more in the Washingtonian. https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/06/01/look-inside-metpark-the-first-phase-of-amazons-arlington-hq2/

As cities grow, office inventory remains largely out of date. Yet despite changes to the market such as hybrid work, opportunities for redevelopment still exist. Today, in partnership with Fast Company, we introduce the “Midlife Metamorphosis,” a design concept that explores how repositioning over time can make aging properties a smarter investment.

5 ways to save office buildings before it’s too late Aging office buildings are in crisis. Here are a few ideas for how to save them.

With climate resilience at the forefront, a new hospital in Brooklyn—the NYC Health + Hospitals Ruth Bader Ginsburg Hospital—opens to the community. A replacement for a facility destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, the new hospital features a flood wall, elevated emergency room and hardened exterior to withstand future storms. NBBJ’s John Flanagan shares with FOX Weather key elements of the new building.

New hospital in Brooklyn built to withstand future storms like Sandy | Latest Weather Clips | FOX Weather Watch the FOX Weather livestream; streaming 24/7 from America's Weather Center with the latest weather videos from the FOX Weather team.

At this Redmond, WA, office for an online marketplace, nature-themed installations created by female and BIPOC artists act as wayfinding elements. Spaces throughout the workplace—including each elevator lobby—serve as a gallery, showcasing a whole-cloth quilt by Shannon Schlosser, forest-inspired macrame by Amy Zwikel, and a cluster of embroidery hoops depicting a lakeside scene by Cloth Tattoo. “The heart and soul of the project showcases the diverse works of these artists to tell the building’s unified story,” says Mara Stokke of NBBJ. Read more in Interior Design Magazine.

Local Art by BIPOC Creatives Leads the Way in This Tech Office An online marketplace catering to arts-and-crafters hired NBBJ’s Seattle studio to oversee wayfinding graphics for its new five-story workplace.

The Crystal Bridge Hongqiao project in Shanghai has officially broken ground! Developed by Tishman Speyer, the 2,690,978 square foot project consists of five buildings housing Grade A office, high-end retail and a mix of public spaces. Buildings are arranged around a communal garden featuring plantings inspired by the natural landscape, while a shimmering curtain wall brings the “Crystal Bridge” theme to life. A third-floor bridge connects the buildings, forming an organic and harmonious shape and connecting indoors with outdoors via a cloud garden. The development is tracking LEED Gold and China Green Building 2-star certifications and is expected to be completed in 2025.

Whether client or designer, beautiful and efficient buildings are something we all aspire to. Thanks to advances in technology, individuality and efficiency now go hand in hand. At an NBBJ hosted roundtable of US and UK leaders in industrialized design construction—the process of integrating design with manufacturing techniques to create unique, high-value projects—we discuss five ways to achieve beauty through standardization. https://www.nbbj.com/ideas/look-both-ways-roundtable-why-prioritizing-efficiency-doesnt-have-to-mean-compromizing-beauty

Great design boosts the performance of entire organizations and the creativity of individuals—but it’s also a tool to support healthier, more meaningful lives. Turns out, it’s also great fodder for a podcast. Building Design+Construction covers Uplift, our podcast on the transformative power of design, and our episode focused on designing stigma-breaking behavioral health facilities. Listen on our website or wherever you get your podcasts.

NBBJ kicks off new design podcast with discussion on behavioral health facilities During the second week of November, the architecture firm NBBJ launched a podcast series called Uplift, that focuses on the transformative power of design. Its first 30-minute episode homed in on designing for behavioral healthcare facilities, a hot topic given the increasing number of new construct...

NBBJ is defined by multi-generational leadership and an 80-year legacy of ideas-driven design. Which is why we’re excited to announce new appointments to our senior leadership team. Steve McConnell, FAIA, has been appointed board chair where he will focus on strategic planning and firm governance. He will also continue as a managing partner. In addition, Robert C. Mankin, Jr., AIA, has been appointed a managing partner and will oversee the firm’s business strategy and day-to-day management as leader of the firm’s executive team. Read more about these and other leaders shaping the future of design here: https://www.nbbj.com/news/architecture-and-design-firm-nbbj-announces-leadership-appointments

We’re headed straight to the top! The Life and Mind Building, University of Oxford celebrated its topping out last week, a significant milestone in the construction of this £200m science hub—the largest teaching and research facility at Oxford. The centre will house 800 students and 1200 researchers and will significantly improve the way psychological and biological science is undertaken, helping scientists to solve some of the major global challenges. It’s also designed to support long-term sustainability, with the intention of being net zero carbon by 2030. https://group.legalandgeneral.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/oxford-university-development-marks-first-delivery-milestone
Wates Group Legal & General

When you think of AI, what comes to mind? Excitement? Trepidation? Both? People across industries are grappling with how to best utilize the technology. As designers, we believe AI can help make sense of growing complexities related to climate, carbon footprint and pollution, ultimately leading to better built environments. But new iterations that place technology in the hands of the user must also be adopted with caution. Learn more about our thoughts through the lens of NBBJ architect Cynthia Ting, and other leaders, in The Wall Street Journal.

From CEOs to Coders, Employees Experiment With New AI Programs Business people across industries are testing out tech’s new frontier to save time and avoid being left behind.

Businesses have an urgent need to build culture and support the bottom line, while employees care about flexibility and wellness. How should this shape the hybrid workplace? Look no further than LinkedIn’s HQ. Originally designed primarily around the desk, the new approach cuts solo workstations by nearly half. Instead, they are replaced with dozens of unique work areas, utilizing a “postures matrix” to evaluate furniture choices and layout based on employee preferences, types of work and time spent in the space Propmodo explores the company’s hybrid office redesign: https://www.propmodo.com/how-linkedins-hq-office-was-redesigned-for-hybrid-work/

Optimism, curiosity, legacy—these are the values that guide our firm and the way we do business. We also know that value alignment is essential to purpose driven organizations like ours. As guest of the Negotiate Anything podcast, NBBJ Managing Partner Steve McConnell speaks to host Kwame Christian, Esq., M.A. about our business model, and how it could also be a framework for other organizations. "Our decision to be purpose driven is a deliberate choice, not an overlay. It’s the heart and soul of what we’re driving at,” says McConnell. Listen to the full podcast here: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/innovative-workspaces-that-connect-people-from-all/id1101679010?i=1000598625760