flexiblefullpage -
billboard - default
interstitial1 - interstitial
catfish1 - bottom
Currently Reading

IBM’s former office buildings in Boca Raton turn into a modern tech campus

IBM’s former office buildings in Boca Raton turn into a modern tech campus

After sitting mostly empty, the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC) is on its way to becoming a town center with retail and housing.


By Novid Parsi, Contributing Editor | August 17, 2022
BRiC ext 1
Courtesy CP Group.

Built in 1968, the Boca Raton Innovation Campus (BRiC), at 1.7 million square feet, is the largest office campus in Florida. Marcel Breuer and Robert F. Gatje codesigned the buildings of BRiC for IBM, the campus’s first owner. In the 1980s, IBM developed, manufactured, and mass-produced its first personal computer at BRiC. 

For his brutalist design, with a façade repeating the same geometric pattern, Breuer took inspiration from the beauty he found in the repetitions of mass production. Designed for Florida’s tropical climate, the building features heavy concrete shading canopies over its glass windows to provide cooling and protection from the sun. The design also provides protection against hurricane damage such as floods. 

After purchasing BRiC in 2018, the building’s current owner, CP Group, has been transforming it from a mostly empty office building into a thriving tech campus. Added amenities include restaurants, art galleries, and coffee shops. CP Group also is in the process of rezoning from a light research and industrial park to a planned mobility development, which will expand BRiC to include office, retail, hospitality, and residential. Additionally, CP Group is pursuing a master plan to add retail, townhomes, and an amphitheater—turning the campus into a town center. 

Architecture firm CallisonRTKL has used a phased strategy to provide flexibility around the existing tenants and day-to-day operations while pursuing a ground-up enhancement. CallisonRTKL’s work includes the following:

  • Increasing the allowable floor area ratio from four to six and upping the maximum allowable development by 1,123,850 square feet
  • Reducing the setbacks from 50 feet to 20 feet 
  • Standardizing office planning metrics
  • Scaling the amenities, landscaping, and infrastructure in tandem with the development’s phases

On the Building Team:
Owner and developer: CP Group 
Design architects: Marcel Breuer and Robert F. Gatje
Architect of record: CallisonRTKL
Structural engineer: Jezerinac Group

BRiC ext 2
Courtesy CP Group.
BRiC ext 3
Courtesy CP Group.
BRiC ext 4
Courtesy CP Group.
BRiC ext 5
Courtesy CP Group.
Lakeside Patio
Courtesy CP Group.
Lakeside Patio ext 2
Courtesy CP Group.
Rocket ext
Courtesy CP Group.
Rocket ext 2
Courtesy CP Group.

 

Related Stories

| Sep 23, 2011

Wall Street adage proving true for the office market

Sale prices for office buildings enjoyed a moderate bounce to the upside, following the financial crisis of 2007 - 2008. 

| Sep 20, 2011

Francis Cauffman wins two IDA design awards

The PA/NJ/DE Chapter of the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) has presented the Francis Cauffman architecture firm with two awards: the Best Interior Design of 2011 for the W. L. Gore offices in Elkton, MD, and the President’s Choice Award for St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center in Paterson, NJ.

| Sep 16, 2011

Electrical installation work completed at Rhode Island DMV

The facility was renovated in order to better the working environment for DMV employees and streamline the experience for Rhode Island drivers.

| Sep 14, 2011

USGBC L.A. Chapter's Green Gala features Jason McLennan as keynote speaker

The Los Angeles Chapter of the nonprofit USGBC will launch its Sustainable Innovation Awards this year during the chapter's 7th Annual Green Gala on Thursday, November 3.

| Sep 14, 2011

Lend Lease’s role in 9/11 Memorial & Museum

Lend Lease is honored to be the general contractor for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum project at the World Trade Center site in New York City.

| Sep 14, 2011

Thornton Tomasetti’s Poon named to the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat’s Board of Trustees

 During his 30-plus years of experience, Poon has been responsible for the design and construction of super high-rise structures, mixed-used buildings, hotels, airports, arenas and residential buildings worldwide. 

| Sep 7, 2011

Administration, Maintenance and Operations Facility in South Bend achieves LEED Platinum

The facility achieved 52 LEED points, including those for site selection, energy, materials and resources and innovation.

| Sep 6, 2011

Construction on Beijing's tallest building starts next week

The 108 floor mixed-use skyscraper consists of offices, apartments, hotels and shopping malls on the lower floors.

| Aug 19, 2011

Thought Leader: Boyd R. Zoccola, chair and chief elected officer of BOMA International

Boyd R. Zoccola is Chair and Chief Elected Officer of BOMA International. A BOMA member since 1994, he has served on the Executive, Finance, Investment, and Medical/Healthcare Facilities Committees. An Indiana Real Estate Principal Broker and a board member of the Real Estate Round Table, he is Executive Vice President of Hokanson Companies, Inc., of Indianapolis, and has been involved in the development of $600 million worth of real estate. On a volunteer basis, Zoccola was president of Horizon House and a board member of Girls, Inc. He holds a BA in biology from Indiana University.

boombox1 - default
boombox2 -
native1 -

More In Category




halfpage1 -

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021