two 42-foot-wide wings, which ensured that every
workstation received ample daylight. Metropolis
editorial director Paul Makovsky recently spoke
with SOM partner Stephen Apking about the $331
million LEED Silver project, lessons from the past,
and the evolution of the green corporate interior.
“We actually pulled the building apart,” Stephen Apking
says, “and brought natural light
into the center of it.”
CAFETERIA
Resin panels encircle the seating
areas; the custom dome fixture is
from Neidhardt. Zumtobel’s linear
direct and indirect lighting works
in concert with natural daylight to
illuminate the space.
C
Paul Makovsky: What were the big moves with
this project that made it sustainable?
Stephen Apking: Obviously, when you’re able to
comprehend the range of issues and have them
completely integrated in terms of the architecture
and interiors, you’re already a step ahead. From
the very beginning we had the whole team at SOM
looking at the full range of issues: the massing of
the building, how it would be located on the site.
Working around an existing building as well as
wetlands, the new building got long—about 900
feet—and became very deep, so we actually pulled
the building apart and brought natural light into
the center of it. We worked with the architects to
create the whole filtering of the natural light
around the perimeter, using a slatted-wood system
on the exterior. This filtered light into the office
environment, reducing the production of heat one
would have to offset with air-conditioning. We also
worked with another firm, Metropolitan Architects
& Planners, to change the work model for the
bureau, moving them from a mostly cellular environment to one that was almost entirely open. That
created other possibilities for maximizing daylighting and matching the workplace model with
issues of sustainability.
A
BRISE-SOLEIL
FACADE
B
Far left: In order not to disrupt views,
the building is eight stories. SOM
took a 1,100-foot-long footprint and
curved it to mask the building’s scale.
A Engineered by Enclos, the curtain-wall is made of Viracon glass and
a one-inch insulated glazing unit
with a ten percent ceramic frit.
Composed of 16,000 wavy FSC-certified
white-oak fins, the brise-soleil, by
Sentinel Structures, helps diffuse solar
glare inside the building.
The MechoShade system reduces
solar heat gain and glare while still
allowing for access to natural light
and views outside.
