The new 263,000 sf, seven-story global headquarters of Medpace, an organization conducting global clinical research for the development of medical therapeutics and devices, reflects its active wellness culture.
The Gresham Smith-designed facility embraces the firm’s vision of an interconnected campus with walkable paths, retail, restaurants, and daily, health-related activities. A 5,000 sf state-of-the-art fitness center graces the building’s second floor with sweeping views of the city. A wide, centralized staircase connects employees to nature with outside views and daylighting, providing encouragement for employees to take the stairs instead of the elevator.
The focal point at the terminus of the lobby, the stairway also acts as a connector to social spaces—including breakrooms, lounge, and meeting spaces. The glazing at the stairwell atrium boasts a six-story custom LED art installation designed by world-renowned LED artist Erwin Redl. It features 10-foot x 10-foot panels illuminated by changeable, multi-colored LED lights. This feature, the “Medpace Matrix,” brings the exterior to life, especially at night, while creating a unique interactive experience that can be viewed from different levels inside.
First-floor retail spaces blend with the Madisonville neighborhood’s ethos—a culturally rich and vibrant area. To allow for privacy within an open-office concept, the design uses architectural features to punctuate large expanses, avoiding a sea-of-workstations effect. Offices and conference rooms are situated in the center of the building, with workstations placed in open areas around the perimeter. A spacious workstation layout incorporates gallery walls on two sides, allowing for seated privacy with enough openness for daylighting and views.
Other features include light-filled, vibrant-hued break areas on each floor that provide floor-to-ceiling views to natural surroundings. Plantings adorn a wall above the banquette seating. Both private offices and open offices throughout the floor plan offer sweeping views to the natural vistas outside.
The striking two-story, 900-space rainbow-colored parking garage goes far beyond utilitarian, giving a nod to the locally celebrated rainbow columns on-site. Gresham Smith’s design team created a garage cladding that captures the history of place. Framed canvas elements at both the north and south ends of the garage will be used for rotating public art installations.
“Employee feedback on the new headquarters has been so overwhelmingly positive that Medpace has made our interior design the standard for its facilities worldwide,” according to Gresham Smith.
Owner and/or developer: RBM Development Company, LLC
Design architect: Gresham Smith
Architect of record: Gresham Smith
MEP engineer: Gresham Smith
Structural engineer: Gresham Smith
General contractor/construction manager: Skanska
Related Stories
Projects | Mar 11, 2022
Suffolk completes construction of luxury condominium 2000 Ocean
The 38-story glass-encased tower along the beach on 1.3 acres is owned by KAR Properties and designed by TEN Arquitectos.
Projects | Mar 10, 2022
Fort Worth’s Hotel Revel adds mixed-use spaces to creative neighborhood
Hotel Revel, a new mixed-use building in the Near Southside section of Fort Worth, Texas, will boost the vibrancy of the eclectic neighborhood.
Projects | Mar 10, 2022
Optometrist office takes new approach to ‘doc-in-a-box’ design
In recent decades, franchises have taken over the optometry services and optical sales market. This trend has spawned a commodity-type approach to design of office and retail sales space.
Projects | Mar 9, 2022
New 243-unit luxury apartment community opens in St. Paul, Minn.
Waterford Bay, a four-story, 243-unit luxury multifamily development recently opened in St. Paul, Minn.
Projects | Mar 9, 2022
Verizon Media’s New York studios serve multiple digital brands
Verizon Media, a division of Verizon Communications, Inc., embarked on a project to create a space to house multiple digital brands in Manhattan. The 21,700 sf space at 770 Broadway contains two broadcast studios and control rooms used by Verizon Media’s ecosystem of digital brands such as Yahoo, TechCrunch, HuffPost, RYOT, and MAKERS.
Mass Timber | Mar 8, 2022
Heavy timber office and boutique residential building breaks ground in Austin
T3 Eastside, a heavy timber office and boutique residential building, recently broke ground in Austin, Texas.
Performing Arts Centers | Mar 8, 2022
Cincinnati Ballet’s new center embodies the idea that dance is for everyone
Cincinnati Ballet had become a victim of its own success, according to company president and CEO Scott Altman. “We were bursting at the seams in our old building. We had simply outgrown the facility,” Altman told the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Projects | Mar 8, 2022
A scalable EV charging solution
Resembling a fueling station, VersiCharge XL—a new electric vehicle (EV) charging concept structure—can charge large numbers of EVs in outdoor areas ranging from small office building parking lots to last-mile logistics hubs to stadium parking lots.
University Buildings | Mar 7, 2022
A new facility can offer thousands of equine therapy sessions a year
At its new Spur campus in Denver, Colorado State University (CSU) will bring its expertise to the public by offering free educational experiences to visitors of all ages. Spur’s three buildings—Hydro, Terra, and Vida—will focus, respectively, on water, earth, and life.
Projects | Mar 7, 2022
An Atlanta office promotes employee well-being
For its new Atlanta office, New Relic, a California-based technology company that develops cloud-based software, wanted to keep employee health and wellness at the fore. It also wanted the workspace design to bolster productivity as well as employee engagement and retention.