Phillips Corp

Phillips Corporation is a global supplier of manufacturing technology products and services primarily focused on machine tools. Though the industrial world often falls short of creating meaningful architectural design, the owners of the Phillips Corporation wanted an office and sales center that not only enhanced their productivity, but also celebrated the innovation they were selling.

The main idea behind the design was to use the same functional rules that are applied to machining of a block of metal into a useful component to “carve” the ceiling and walls to hold the components that make up a modern office environment. The result is a multilayered system that is manipulated to accommodate lighting, HVAC, sound deadening, way finding, and access points.

Much as a piece of metal can be milled to create slots and ports for various components, the ceilings and walls of the office do the same. Glass light boxes sit within the system like oversized diodes and serve as markers of the major circulation paths, anchoring distant views and uniting the plans various zones. The plan is also carefully configured to emphasize the various working groups that make up the business, all organized around a glass enclosed show room that keeps the equipment, the basis of the business, central to all office activity. Each zone of open furniture systems is flanked by enclosed conference space, lounges, and workrooms.

The showroom and its adjacent workroom and loading dock facilitate equipment changes with easy access and flexible power and compressed air hook-ups as well as incorporate Haas’ mandated color scheme and logo. These colors reappear as an accent throughout the project connecting the employees back to the manufacturer and unifying the company around the whole of what they do.