Innovation Park in Charlotte, North Carolina, is the 200-acre redevelopment of a suburban IBM complex into an office park focused on fitness and health. Developed by BECO South LLC and designed by Redline Design Group, this project features amenities promoting work/life balance and well-being. Outdoor and indoor wifi-enabled brainstorming spaces, charging stations for electric cars, subsidized daycare, a dry cleaner, a farmers’ market, and multiple on-site food options provide tenants with an opportunity to collaborate and unwind.
Indoors is the BECO Fitness Center, which offers YMCA-led classes twice a day, an eight-week wellness program, individual audio-visual stations, and strength building equipment. Annually, over a two-hour lunch session, local chiropractors, life coaches, nutritionists, and other alternative health care professionals meet with employees to encourage active lifestyles. Innovation Park also features a popular bikesharing program with trainings and group rides organized by the YMCA. An indoor track for walking groups and joggers connects the 13 buildings of the complex.
Learn more about Innovation Park in ULI’s Building for Wellness: The Business Case report.
Champion Station is a redeveloped office park that incorporated numerous amenities and features that have set it apart from more traditional suburban office parks. Developed by TMG Partners, Champion Station encompasses connectivity and healthy amenities—both within the complex and nearby. Opportunities for physical activity and collaboration are abundant, including running and biking trails, sports courts, and open meeting spaces.
The development also provides opportunities for healthy food access beyond what office parks more typically provide. Champion Station is located in walking and biking distance of a number of healthy food options that can be accessed by foot or by bike, including farmers markets. The building concierge offers classes on gardening, and common grill areas and kitchens encourage social interaction and healthy food consumption among employees.
GlaxoSmithKline’s new office headquarters in Philadelphia’s historic Navy Yard is designed to improve the health and productivity of its workforce. The project was developed by Liberty Property Trust and Synterra Partners and designed by Robert A.M. Stern Architects in association with Kendall/Heaton Associates.
In the open-concept workspace, employees are not limited to any one workspace for an extended period of time. Special features such as adjustable desks that move between sitting and standing promote healthy working habits, and workers can even exercise as they work by using one of the walk-station desks attached to a treadmill. Adjustable chairs and monitor arms offer employees a comfortable, ergonomic office environment.
A prominent lobby staircase encourages employees to skip the elevator. Amenities such as an in-office gym, walking trails, and parks with a putting green offer employees a variety of ways to stay active throughout the workday. A bike-sharing program, maintained by local bike shop Keswick Cycle, offers employees a fleet of bikes to borrow for midday exercise or running errands. A health clinic with a nurse further supports the company’s mission to make wellness a priority.
Park 20|20, a 28-acre office park in Haarlemmermeer, Netherlands, is designed with the health of the building occupants in mind. The project, developed by Delta Development Group and designed by William McDonough + Partners, features specially selected plants that are used to filter internal air through green walls that store carbon dioxide and produce fresh oxygen. Dust is minimized through a ductless floor system and through moss that acts as a natural filter.
Natural light is abundant throughout the office space, minimizing the need for much artificial light. LED lighting—the closest lighting to sunlight—was used to the extent possible, and an automated sun-shading system regulates the interior lighting based on sun and cloud cover. Each office space contains a window that can be opened for fresh air, and buildings are horseshoe shaped with large atriums that allow natural light from two sides. Natural views are provided through 22 acres of open space, which includes a central park that is visible from surrounding streets.
Learn more about Park 20|20 in ULI’s Building for Wellness: The Business Case report.
The Hercules Campus in Playa Vista, California, is a 28-acre redevelopment of historic buildings into an innovative office and studio complex. Developed by the Ratkovich Company and designed by Brenda Levin & Associates and EPT Design, the project uses a variety of features to connect employees and visitors to the picturesque surroundings.
Native Californian plants preserve water, limit landscaping needs of the campus and creating a natural outdoor setting. Outdoor spaces complete with picnic tables provide options for social interaction and outdoor meetings throughout the workday. Indoors, bowed truss ceilings, open spaces, and abundant operable windows provide ample access to light and fresh air.