{"id":224216,"date":"2024-04-10T17:20:38","date_gmt":"2024-04-10T21:20:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_project&p=224216"},"modified":"2024-04-10T17:20:42","modified_gmt":"2024-04-10T21:20:42","slug":"intuit-workplace-by-clive-wilkinson-architects-and-wrns-studio","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/intuit-workplace-by-clive-wilkinson-architects-and-wrns-studio\/","title":{"rendered":"Innovation Thrives in This Postpandemic Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\"Room
Outfitting the library is Anderssen & Voll\u2019s Outline sectional and high-back chairs and a Piero Lissoni Season ottoman. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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April 10, 2024<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Edie Cohen<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Jason O\u2019Rear<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Innovation Thrives in This Postpandemic Workplace<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Clive Wilkinson towers at the pinnacle of workplace stars. Landmark offices for the likes of TBWA\\Chiat\\Day, Macquarie Group, and Microsoft cap the Interior Design<\/em> Hall of Famer<\/a>\u2019s voluminous portfolio. A master of the genre, he also counts residential and institutional among his other specialties. But hospitality? Not so much. That may change with a recent project that brings a hospitality influence to bear on the workplace: interiors for Intuit\u2019s new headquarters.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Located on the financial-software company\u2019s Mountain View, California, campus, the project was many years in the making. It began in 2011, when Clive Wilkinson Architects<\/a> and WRNS Studio<\/a> were commissioned to collaborate on a pair of new-builds located on a high-profile corner of the property, visible from the adjacent freeway. The first building was completed in 2016. The second, a glassy four-story, 178,600-square-foot structure with a conjoined single-level cafeteria\/town-hall pavilion, was slated to break ground in 2020. \u201cWe designed it to be low and loftlike, light and airy,\u201d WRNS partner Brian Milman, who oversaw site planning for the 44-acre campus, says of the LEED Platinum\u2013certified building. \u201cIt was conceived as a habitat tied to the ground.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designing a LEED Platinum-Certified Building for Intuit<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"exterior
A living wall punctuates the ground level of the 178,600-square-foot, glass-and-aluminum building, which is certified LEED Platinum.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Midway through permitting the project, COVID happened. Although construction commenced and progressed without pause, the client, forecasting a need for return-to-office enticements, pushed the design team to deep-dive into potential postpandemic scenarios. \u201cIntuit flagged us to pivot and rethink the workplace of the future,\u201d Wilkinson summarizes. Despite uncertainty clouding RTO and how paradigms and policies would evolve, he and associate principal Caroline Morris reasoned that many precepts endemic to hospitality would grow increasingly relevant for the workplace\u2014ideas like experiential spaces, a sense of discovery, zones for gathering and community, indeterminate areas open to whatever occupants want, and places, frankly, for people to be happy. They set about tweaking the initial plans to offer more communal environments and opted for daring choices in color and furnishings. \u201cThe big ask was to be bold and playful,\u201d Morris recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That certainly describes the vibe upon entry. At the ground-level reception, staff and visitors encounter a 20-foot-long desk backgrounded by a powder-coated steel logo wall in Intuit\u2019s signature cobalt. Beyond, a sunshiny-yellow lounge enclosure with a pitched roof, nicknamed the little house, beckons in service of meetings and confabs. Running alongside it, a flight of oak-clad stairs, edged with planters for biophilia, leads to the main conference center (the largest on campus) as well as the scheme\u2019s major design move: a three-story, 40-foot-high atrium. The bright volume is lit from above by clerestories set within a series of angled precast-concrete beams, each 60 feet long and weighing 40 tons. Jutting into the atrium are pods\u2014some angular, some rectilinear, some brightly colored. Long part of Wilkinson\u2019s playbook, these cantilevered, glass-fronted aeries are in fact meeting rooms with a view. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prioritizing Flexibility in a Workplace Designed for Hybrid Teams<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"Intuit
In reception, a powder-coated steel logo wall backdrops the custom desk, and an Alexander Girard rug anchors the seating vignette.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The sprawling plaza at the atrium\u2019s base channels hospitality via comfy lounge seating in citrus hues by Alfredo H\u00e4berli, Ichiro Iwasaki, and Hella Jongerius. There\u2019s also an oak communal table surrounded by an eclectic mix of David Geckeler and Jean Prouv\u00e9 chairs and a barista station, of course. A perforated-steel statement stair\u2014identical to one in the first building\u2014winds up along the atrium\u2019s south side, connecting the three floors. \u201cProgression through the space is spiral and episodic in order to experience delightful moments,\u201d Milman notes. Various amenities sprinkled throughout the large floor plates further encourage movement and mingling. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workspaces are what changed the most from prepandemic plans. Intuit\u2019s hybrid two-days-in policy sparked a need for flexibility and options. Out went benching and dedicated desks; instead, the 1,000 employees are grouped into neighborhoods with unassigned workstations adjoined by stylish lounge areas for collaboration. Other features added during mid-pandemic replanning were two quiet zones per floor and a secondary conference hub, on floor three. The latter is fronted by a multiuse prefunction zone that\u2019s certainly more hotel lobby than corporate holding pen. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Town
The atrium is furnished with Jean Prouv\u00e9 Standard and David Geckeler Nerd chairs lining a custom communal table and Alfredo H\u00e4berli\u2019s Dado sectional sofa. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Recent parlance is big on equity and choice. \u201cIntroverts can opt for seating away from others,\u201d Wilkinson notes, \u201cand people can take a break with games or in designated reflection rooms.\u201d Or they can escape to one of a trio of libraries, stacked on the top three floors, where a hushed atmosphere prevails. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It all adds up to an evolution of the activity-based work Wilkinson\u2019s firm has long espoused. \u201cNo one knew what the end result would be; it was an optimistic and ambitious endeavor on our client\u2019s side,\u201d he says\u2014yet the new HQ is \u201cthe type of environment we\u2019ve been promoting for years, offering multiple settings that give employees some say in how they work.\u201d Morris chimes in: \u201cWork is complex, but people are complex.\u201d Confirmation that the teams got it right? Another pivot is pending to bring the interiors of the first building up to the newcomer\u2019s standards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk Through the Intuit HQ in Mountain View, California<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\"dark
In the interactive hub, a prefunction zone to the conference area, a cutaway in the soffit reveals the concrete slab. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Intuit
Office areas have Cradle to Cradle\u2013certified carpet tile, unassigned workstations, custom lockers, and adjoining lounges, this one featuring an NYC Loose sectional. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Dining
Stretched fabric with custom graphics by Forth+Back rings the cafeteria\/ town-hall pavilion, with David Rowland 40\/4 chairs. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Interior
At the Mountain View, California, headquarters of financial-software company Intuit, with architecture by WRNS Studio and interiors by Clive Wilkinson Architects, a perforated-steel stairway climbs the three-story central atrium. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Room
Outfitting the library is Anderssen & Voll\u2019s Outline sectional and high-back chairs and a Piero Lissoni Season ottoman. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"conference
Painted acoustic panels in a conference pod with custom table lend a jolt of color.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"View
A view into the atrium from a third-floor balcony reveals abundant ivory oak\u2013veneered paneling and oak flooring. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"View
Meeting pods protrude into the 40-foot-high volume.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\"view
A meeting room projects into the atrium, the angle of its 60-foot-long, precast-concrete ceiling beams allowing light to funnel down from clerestory windows. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"View
Plants edge the stairs leading from reception to the atrium\u2019s base one flight up. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"High
The reception-adjacent little house lounge is populated with Reframe armchairs by EOOS, Rudolph Schelling Webermann\u2019s Ding coffee table, and a mohair rug in Intuit cobalt.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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\"exterior
The entry and adjacent parking structure, clad in anodized-aluminum fins, are fronted in new landscaping that includes oak and dwarf strawberry trees as well as cape rush. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
project team<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CLIVE WILKINSON ARCHITECTS:<\/strong> SASHA SHUMYATSKY; BEN KALENIK; PERKIN MAK; SARA NELSON; JUAN FEBRES-CORDERO; BEN HOWELL; JUAN GUARDADO. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WRNS STUDIO:<\/strong> BRYAN SHILES; SAM NUNES; PAULINE SOUZA; MOSES VAUGHAN; RODNEY LEACH; BRIAN MULDER; ASHISH KULKARNI; ERIN BUTLER; GEORGE RUIZ; MEGHAN LUSCOMBE; ROSS FERRARI; DARYL TOY; SIVAN HECHT; NATHAN HYMAN. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

STUDIO FIVE DESIGN:<\/strong> LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CREATIVE PLANT DESIGN:<\/strong> INTERIOR LANDSCAPING. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

EGG OFFICE: <\/strong>CUSTOM GRAPHICS\/BRANDING. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

REG: <\/strong>LIGHTING CONSULTANT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARTLIFTING:<\/strong> ART CONSULTANT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOLMES STRUCTURES:<\/strong> STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

INTERFACE ENGINEERING:<\/strong> MEP. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BKF:<\/strong> CIVIL ENGINEER. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NORTHWESTERN DESIGN:<\/strong> MILLWORK. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RUDOLPH AND SLETTEN:<\/strong> GENERAL CONTRACTOR. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

project sources<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

FROM FRONT CAESARSTONE: <\/strong>COUNTERTOPS (ATRIUM, RECEPTION). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ANDREU WORLD:<\/strong> SECTIONALS (ATRIUM), ROUND SIDE TABLES (ATRIUM, RECEPTION), COMMUNAL TABLE (HUB). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARPER:<\/strong> OTTOMANS (ATRIUM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

VITRA:<\/strong> LOUNGE CHAIRS, STANDARD CHAIRS (ATRIUM). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MUUTO:<\/strong> STOOLS, NERD CHAIRS (ATRIUM), SECTIONAL, HIGH-BACK CHAIRS (LIBRARY), BLUE CHAIR (HUB). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PENTALQUARTZ:<\/strong> DESK SOLID SURFACING (RECEPTION). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

VICCARBE:<\/strong> OTTOMANS (RECEPTION, LIBRARY). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

STYLEX:<\/strong> SECTIONALS (RECEPTION, OFFICE AREA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

GEIGER:<\/strong> LOUNGE CHAIRS (LITTLE HOUSE). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE RUG COMPANY: <\/strong>RUG. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NORMANN COPENHAGEN:<\/strong> COFFEE TABLES (LITTLE HOUSE, HUB). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ASPLUND: <\/strong>COFFEE TABLE (LIBRARY). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JB3D: <\/strong>MURAL FABRICATION (CAFETERIA). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FORTH+BACK:<\/strong> GRAPHIC. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CERTAINTEED:<\/strong> CEILING BAFFLES. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

FSORB:<\/strong> CEILING PANELS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WCI:<\/strong> TABLES. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HOWE:<\/strong> CHAIRS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

HAY:<\/strong> WOOD CHAIRS (HUB). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MILLIKEN:<\/strong> CARPET. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DAVIS:<\/strong> SOFA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

THROUGHOUT ARMSTRONG WORLD INDUSTRIES; NORTON INDUSTRIES: <\/strong>CEILING GRILLES. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

ARCHITECTURAL GLASS & ALUMINUM:<\/strong> CURTAIN WALL, ALUMINUM FINS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

VIRACON:<\/strong> ARCHITECTURAL GLASS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

WALTERS & WOLF: <\/strong>PRECAST-CONCRETE WALLS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEMEX:<\/strong> CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHINNOKI:<\/strong> PANELING. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

NORTHERN WIDE PLANK: <\/strong>WOOD FLOORING. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

MAHARAM: <\/strong>ACOUSTIC PANELS, RUGS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BENTLEY MILLS:<\/strong> CARPET TILE. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DUNN-EDWARDS CORPORATION:<\/strong> PAINT. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

PLANTERS UNLIMITED: <\/strong>PLANTERS. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

JLL; KBM HOGUE:<\/strong> FURNITURE SUPPLIERS. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n