Home

Thornburg Campus in Santa Fe redefines indoor/outdoor functionality

Aug. 11, 2010
3 min read

The new Thornburg Campus, recently completed in the rolling hills in the northern section of Santa Fe, dramatically combines “new-old Santa Fe style” with the vision of world-renowned architect Ricardo Legorreta in an architectural tour de force for the region.

“The Thornburg Campus is an architectural gem for New Mexico,” said Ricardo Legorreta, principal of Legorreta + Legorreta, who designed the building along with his son Victor Legorreta and the architectural firm of Dekker/Perich/Sabatini.

Three interconnected sections create the Thornburg Campus, with a combined 100,000 square feet of office space, two courtyards, and three rooftop gardens on seven acres in an environmentally sensitive landmark building.

Dekker/Perich/Sabatini (D/P/S), an architectural firm based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, brought Legorreta’s vision for the Thornburg Campus to reality. Additionally, D/P/S incorporated state-of-the-art sustainable features making the Thornburg Campus the most environmentally friendly commercial office building in northern New Mexico.

The Thornburg Campus is the product of multiple visionaries. “The Thornburg Campus is an example of many things done right from so many sources,” said D/P/S architect Brett Frauenglass. “Start with a master of architectural form (Ricardo Legorreta), add a large concentration of sustainable features, and a client committed to providing a beautiful, healthy work environment for his employees.”

Five years ago, Garrett Thornburg realized Thornburg Investment Management® (TIM), Thornburg Securities, and the service group, Thornburg Resources Team would need a new space and gave directions to his design team to fashion one of the most employee-friendly buildings in the Southwest. This Thornburg Campus is the realization of that dream.

“My primary objective for the Thornburg Campus was to create an attractive building and healthy work environment for Thornburg employees,” said Thornburg. “To be able to give employees the cleanest indoor air, daylight in almost every office space, and breathtaking scenic views in an inspiring architectural marvel is the perfect union of architectural style, environmental design, and workplace functionality. I have great admiration for how the architects and designers have brought this original concept to life.”

Santa Fe’s high mountain setting provides a unique quality of natural light for both the interior and exterior of the Thornburg Campus. Carefully positioned fenestration allows breathtaking mountain views from almost any position in the building. Each window provides a unique scenic view. Throughout the day, the sun’s rays penetrate Santa Fe’s unpolluted, pristine mountain air and illuminate the building, enriching and changing the stucco earth tone colors. To accommodate the changing sun, south sides of the building feature deep shading overhangs with deeply recessed windows, while windows along the east and west sides feature vertical architectural elements that provide shading.

Legorreta + Legorreta’s passion for merging architecture and nature is evident throughout the Thornburg Campus. Nature penetrates the building at all angles. Large windows provide a connection to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains and the city of Santa Fe, while three rooftop gardens featuring native and adapted plants provide an enriching outdoor space for employees to enjoy.

Contact Information:
Dohnia Dorman
(505) 842-6600
[email protected]

Sign up for Building Design+Construction Newsletters