Brand building: the corporate campus expresses itself

Text by Peter Smisek
17.06.20

Large multinational companies are increasingly using architecture as a powerful tool both to express their individual brand identities, as well as to engage, motivate and excite employees.

Behnisch Architekten’s new Adidas World of Sports Arena: The elevated slab, which contains 2,000 workspaces, is wrapped in a lattice skin. Photo: David Matthiessen

While start-ups may prefer trendy co-working spaces, many established companies are bringing the fun, collaborative spirit to their corporate campuses by building new and expressive office buildings. These structures are often a reflection and extension of their existing brand identity, while acting as hubs for employees and visitors alike.

The rambling, top-lit interior of the COBE-designed Adidas HALFTIME building features many gym-inspired details, and carries the Adidas brand identity all the way into office environments. Photos: Rasmus Hjortshøj – COAST

In southern Germany's Herzogenaurach, the new Adidas HALFTIME building, designed by Danish practice COBE, is a large, freestanding pavilion, containing a canteen for employees, a brand ambassador showroom, workshops and meeting rooms as well as an events hall. Although the building does not contain a significant amount of office floorspace, it serves as a common facility for staff and visitors within the Adidas corporate campus.

Playful details, such as facade panels that resemble the iconic bricks, and two cantilevered roof pavilions bring a touch of child-like whimsy to C.F. Møller's LEGO Campus offices. Photos: Adam Mørk

In Billund, Denmark, architects C.F. Møller have designed the new LEGO Campus set within a publicly accessible park. In a nod to the iconic modular toy, the new office building consists of clustered, rectangular blocks. Inside, the offices are designed to be flexible, and each block is given a particular colour accent to promote wayfinding, as well as acting as an extension of the company's light-hearted brand identity.

Shigeru Ban Architects' Swatch Headquarters conveys the company's playful ethos, but the new office also features a highly sustainable engineered timber structure. Photos: Courtesy of Swatch Ltd. / © Didier Boy de la Tour

In Biel, Switzerland, Shigeru Ban Architects have designed the new Swatch Headquarters as well as Cité du Temps, an adjacent museum for Omega and Swatch. The new, informally laid-out offices are located in a long, grid-shell tube which morphs into an expressive arch as it reaches towards the more formal, rectangular glass prism of Cité du Temps. The playful, organically curved structure is clad in transparent glazing, translucent air cushions and solid panels to create a shimmering, ever-changing exterior as well as an airy, light interior.

The pared-down office interiors of Behnisch Architekten's Adidas World of Sports Arena include sports-inspired details such as locker rooms, which reflect the brand's performance-driven spirit. Photos: David Matthiessen

Back at the Adidas Campus in Germany, Stuttgart-based Behnisch Architekten have designed the new Adidas World of Sports Arena which sits adjacent to the HALFTIME pavilion. The new office building consists of a rectangular, elevated slab which contains 2,000 workspaces and is wrapped in a lattice skin. Below this a communal lobby and company showcases which serve as a welcome point for both employees and visitors.