The Serena Williams Building is the largest structure at Nike World Headquarters at more than 1 million square feet, and built for a workforce of 1,900. Our firm designed all aspects of this programmatically complex building, including core and shell, interiors, FF&E, and brand integration. The project presented three primary design challenges:

• To create a design-intensive workspace that fosters connection and collaboration and drives innovation on an enormous scale.
• To leverage regenerative principles, in partnership with nature, to optimize the design for the benefit of the site and the building occupants.
• To capture the ethos of sport, Nike’s heritage, and the spirit of Serena Williams, the ultimate phenom-warrior-muse, and the building’s namesake.

Serena Williams personifies the building’s narrative; the armor of the samurai inspired the exterior; the concept of ‘flow’ informed programmatic connectivity; the abstracted wing of Nike is evident in its tripartite massing. The building consists of four programmatic components: an underground parking garage and loading dock; a merchandising center for prototype retail spaces; integrated design studios for multiple product categories; and a 12-story tower with shared amenities for the whole campus. The tower combines two intertwined volumes, as a nod to the two founders of Nike. The 160-foot-long Design Connector, a rotational steel truss tube, spans between four levels of design and office space.

‘Flow’ is a design strategy that is fluid, efficient and responsive to both the individual player and the team. It allows for connections among – and between – designers and business operations. Accessory spaces like atria, communicating stairs, modular kitchenettes, and courtyards keep spaces human scale. The building is organized so that designers for each brand occupy a single level, while the corresponding services stack vertically between levels. In a first for Nike, products can move from sketch to prototype to final design to retail fixture all under one roof.

The site is located next to a beautiful wetland which the campus had turned away from. Previously, it contained a parking lot and an access road. We used regenerative design to engage the natural world as the catalyst for respectful site design and intelligent construction using responsible systems and materials. To maximize connection to the landscape, the building is in direct relationship to the wetland. There is sensitivity to the pedestrian experience—you can walk around the entire site outdoors and remain dry during the rainy season. The negative spaces created by the branching bars are treated with the same care as the interior spaces. Courtyards, gardens, plazas and a sunken tennis court provide outdoor spaces for work, recreation and relaxation. Shoe Dog Bridge was designed by PLACE Studio.

The building is LEED Platinum Certified. Sustainable design features include energy efficient mechanical systems, photovoltaic panels, a rainwater capture and reuse system, regional and recycled materials, radiant sails, and FSC certified wood products.Tempered air is pumped through the core of the building then pushed through the raised access floor, allowing each desk occupant to adjust their airflow. When building design reaches the scale of urban design, sustainability is non-negotiable.

Skylab team
Jeff Kovel, Design Director
Brent Grubb, Project Manager
Susan Barnes, Project Director
Robin Wilcox, Project Director
Nita Posada, Interior Architecture Lead
Louise Foster, Project Designer

Project team
Architecture and Interior Design: Skylab
Building Enclosure: Facade Group
Civil Engineering: WHPacific Civil Engineering
Code Consultant: Code Unlimited
Contractor: Hoffman Construction
Kitchen Consultant: HDA
Landscape: Place Landscape
Lighting: Luma
MEP: PAE
Signage/Wayfinding: Ambrosini Design
Sound: Listen Acoustics
Specifications Consultant: M.Thrailkill