Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Located on a three-acre site near Technology Square in Midtown Atlanta, Norfolk Southern Headquarters designed by Pickard Chilton and HKS for Norfolk Southern Corporation is a complex of two office towers unified by a five-story campus-style hub that serves as a destination for employees to work and socialize.
Norfolk Southern Headquarters has recently been awarded a 2023 Green Good Design Award and a 2022 American Architecture Award Honorable Mention, by The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
This new workplace has been designed to accommodate the future of work in a post-pandemic world.
It includes significant space for socially distanced meetings, open workspaces, hospital-grade air handling systems, abundant outdoor greenspace, and state-of-the-art technology that fully enables hybrid work.
Integrated touchless technology allows occupants to move from entry to workstations without any mandatory touchpoints.
All building entry, security, and elevator call operation can be handled through individual key cards ensuring health-conscious operation and protection of team members.
Connecting all office floors, open-glazed perimeter stairwells take advantage of views and sunlight to encourage employees’ movement between floors.
The lobby’s spiral staircase further encourages staircase use. In addition to a fitness facility, the project includes bicycle storage and shower facilities.
Efficient heating, hospital-grade ventilation, and air conditioning systems reduce energy use by +/-16% over the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 baseline.
The highest volume of outdoor air is brought in to exceed ASHRAE 62.1-2010 criteria, which balances with energy efficiency by utilizing dedicated outdoor air systems throughout.
Rainwater captured from the site and rooftop significantly reduces indoor, outdoor, and cooling tower water use.
Specifically, reclamation systems provide non-potable water for the building’s flushing and landscape use in addition to reducing water for irrigation by 100%, interior flush fixtures by 100%, and cooling tower demand by +/- 80% over a typical office building.
These strategies allowed 100% of the LEED water category credits to be awarded.
Towers are clad in a high-performance enclosure with insulated Low-E glazing that controls solar heat gain and enhances u-values.
Floor-to-ceiling glass in workspaces offers abundant natural light and views. Smart lighting systems and LED fixtures assure light quality.
Occupancy sensors and automatically dimming, energy-efficient lighting allowed energy usage to be reduced by approximately 16% over the ASHRAE 90.1-2010 baseline.
Material selection prioritized EPDs and HPDs to evaluate the transparency and ensure the lowest possible environmental impacts and highest quality indoor environment.
Products with low VOCs were selected to improve indoor air quality.
To support a balanced work environment, on-site amenities include a childcare center, a food hall with dining and a café, and a fitness center.
These spaces have each been designed and programmed with health and wellness in mind.
Biophilic design strategies create a dynamic network of interior and exterior spaces to engage occupants with an abundance of natural elements and experiences such as daylight, green spaces, and natural materials.
Significant green spaces offer a respite in nature and can be activated to support meetings, collaboration, and socialization.
These include a 2,300-square-meter entry plaza and park at the entrance and 3,900 square meters of above-grade terraces and gardens.
The interior biophilic design engages occupants with elements of nature.
Public art, cultural programs, and green space were priorities for the clients as a demonstration of their commitment to being a good neighbors.
Its new artist-in-residence program is housed in a daylit studio space and serves as a dedicated space for a local artist.
Project: Norfolk Southern Headquarters
Architects: Pickard Chilton
Lead Architect: Jon Pickard
Associate Architects: HKS, Inc.
General Contractor: Holder Construction Company
Client: Norfolk Southern Corporation
Photographers: David Sundberg / Esto