The Use of Nature by Corporations
by Alina Durkovic
Companies design their corporate campuses both to attract qualified employees and to promote a community in nature in order to facilitate creativity and the flow of ideas. Corporations use an “aesthetic strategy” to promote a new kind of corporate image, one with scenic landscapes, ponds, lakes, trees, flowers and natural light. Aesthetic strategy is the peacefulness that is in direct opposition to the bustling urbanity of the city.[1] Nature is an incentive to get employees to move and work in the suburbs. Some companies using aesthetic strategies are PepsiCo and IBM Architectural Record reported that moving corporate headquarters into the suburbs helps create stronger branding, business continuity, and enhanced attraction and retention. [2] When corporations move outside the city, they use innovative ways of marketing themselves to the public and to future investors. Designing corporate estates is a competitive market to attract employees to work “in nature.” Therefore, the public found these moves into the suburbs uncommon; it was up to the companies to allay the fear.[3]
The notion of a corporate campus emerged after World War II in an effort to duplicate the intellectual atmosphere of a university in a work environment. Fordham Westchester in Harrison, New York, neighboring the Cross-Westchester Expressway is a graduate school location. Once a used as a corporate campus for NYNEX and as rental commercial space, this three story building has been revitalized with classrooms, conference rooms and administrative offices. The campus is conveniently located off major highways, public transportation and near Connecticut, attracting students and business people from all directions. The campus is located on a heavily wooded area with a stream and a pond. A perfectly landscaped garden courtyard was strategically placed where natural lights and hues of green can be enjoyed.
The Centre at Purchase
The Centre at Purchase is one of the corporate campus along the Interstate 287 (Cross Westchester Expressway) that is changing its look and design to attract investors, employees and new businesses. George Comfort & Sons, Inc. is the commercial real estate company responsible for the architectural design of the buildings, the corporate park itself, and the landscaping. The Centre at Purchase is proud of being a “high performance corporate campus, delivering metropolitan innovation in a suburban, park-like setting.”[4] A park-like setting in nature is a crucial element in discussing the advertising and success of a corporate campus.
The crossroad of the I-287 and the I-684 (The Hutchinson River Parkway) make The Center at Purchase an accessible place to get to along with a Metro North stop in Rye, N.Y. The campus itself is placed on 43 acres of “manicured grounds” which gives the effects of being both “calming and invigorating.”[5] When employees are happy in their work environment it leads to a high productivity level. The purpose of landscaping and the use of nature is to inspire employees to focus and build creativity.
It has been argued that traveling from building to building on a corporate campus to get to meetings for example is “wasted time” in contrast to “productive time”. Surveys and interviews conducted at three different corporations in London by Architectural Record have shown that staff used this time to interact with co-workers. The campus as a whole is trying to promote a pedestrian-friendly space. The Centre at Purchase is designed around a “running-water pond and pristine courtyard centerpiece”[6], in which walkways have been placed connecting to the various buildings around the campus. These amenities have been thought to give employees a positive feeling or outlook, such as being happy to come to work. A major goal in industry success is creating the highest amount of employee productivity possible. In bringing together highly qualified employees to setting such as a corporate campus, it encourages these people to work as a team using an exchange of ideas rather the classic solo cubical. The ‘koi pond’ is advertised as one of the new amenities offered by the planners of this project. The Centre café offers outdoor seating overlooking a pond and trees. From the café there are walkways leading to nature trails near the Manhattanville College campus.
Corporate campuses represent the architectural shift away from the urban and into the contemporary American landscape.[7] The feeling of working in a place with rolling green acres, ponds, lakes, and trees enhances the creative juices in employees, a place to not only work the mind but relax it as well. The promise of parking, a cafeteria as well as restaurants and hotels nearby, the access to other parts of the area via highway or commuter rail, in which prospective employees want to enjoy as well as work. “Workday productivity is paramount to building a successful business. Platinum Mile tenants may work at their leisure, both indoors and outdoors, among the peaceful park-like premises or from the relaxed environment of the properties’ Internet cafes.”[8]
I.B.M. Office Building Complex
The IBM Office Building Complex is located in Somers, New York, a northeastern region in Westchester. The campus sits atop a hill extending down a winding road to the “pastoral countryside below.”[9] The campus is on 750 acres of land connected by highways 100, 116, and 138 along the Muscoot Reservoir in Westchester. The proximity of highways led to the building of five miles of new roads to create access in and out of the campus.
The way in which this corporate campus incorporates nature into the atmosphere is different from other corporate campuses. Rather than investing in landscaping and man-made ponds, lead designer Theodore J. Musho constructed a 50-foot high pyramidal skylight. The intent of this massive skylight is to “bring the great outdoors inside.”[10] Even more interesting is the fact that the points of these pyramids can be seen from the highways as if they are peeking out of the forest in efforts to create a “memorable public identity.”[11]
On a corporate campus it is likely the company is more “visible” as opposed to being in a crowded city competing with other corporate images. When a corporation has a strong corporate identity it then in turn strengthens an employee’s commitment to the company therefore increasing production. In 1985, a new project was constructed which was the Entrance Pavilion, Gatehouse and Site Enhancement. Lead designer I.M. Pei planned a new 2-story entrance to “improve access and security while respecting, and augmenting, corporate identity.”[12] On the second story entrance a garden pavilion replaced a grass structure designed by an earlier planner. The purpose of these changes were in efforts to make a more visible entrance, one in which makes an “inviting transition between outside and in.”[13] Natural light was a very important tool in this project, making a balance with artificial light from the inside.
Image and identity are the two most crucial ways in which to advertise a company to an array of groups. A positive corporate image or corporate identity attracts prospective employees and investors. When a corporation has a strong corporate identity it then in turn strengthens an employee’s commitment to the company therefore increasing production. High quality products and services are produced where ideas and information flows within a company. The image by corporations is one that is technologically and socially advanced with appealing amenities, manicured landscaping and construction standardization. Using nature such as trees, grass and gardens is what allows employees to create high-quality products. These attractions lured many Americans to the suburbs, in search of new homes and better employment.[14]
Architecture plays a role in this image because it allows companies to brand and decorate their campus with things that show what their company is about therefore marketing their “corporate image”, how they want others to view them. Furnishings, paintings and high-quality décor make visitors and employees feel comfortable and “at home”, another pull to work in a corporate campus environment. The way in which conference rooms, public spaces or employee offices are maintained reflects the value for which the company has for its employees. “The company says that people are their greatest asset and if you look at the built environment. It's a different kind of branding ... way of representing the corporate values; not just by having a brand name on the outside for clients to see.'”[15] Company hierarchies become vaguer because the teams created include employees from various divisions. Employees are accustomed to the hierarchy presented by a sky scraper, the new combers on the lower levels with the rationale that when you move up in the building you are also moving up in the company. At a corporate campus, it is as if the sky scraper has been placed on the horizontal, where all employees are equal working as a team.
PepsiCo World Headquarters
Unique and visible architecture helps attract future employees, investors and business partners. Companies are able to use their surrounding environments to portray their appreciation for the region and its staff. Approximately an hour from New York City in Purchase, New York, is where PepsiCo decided to move its headquarters to in the 1970. Using a previously use polo club, Donald M. Kendall wanted to “create an atmosphere of stability, creativity and experimentation.”[16] This atmosphere was not just for employees but also tourists, the surrounding residents and the public. The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens were thus created, a museum without walls for everyone to enjoy.
The land in which PepsiCo is situated on is 168 acres of “green lawns, tress, ponds, fountains, and landscaped gardens with a topiary, well-tended hedges, flower beds and water-lily ponds.”[17] The original landscaping design was planned by E.D. Stone Jr. who strategically balanced the sculptures with the green stage of nature. One of the most well known pieces of art in the gardens is Robert Davidson’s “Totems,” which can be found by walking along the tree-lined paths that surround the pond. There are also other sculptures located more deep in the densely wooded areas. It was the intent of the artist to have his sculptures placed what resembles an ‘enchanted’ or mysterious forest.
In addition to the sculpture garden, PepsiCo has also established an organic vegetable garden run and maintained by the employees. Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi stated in a PepsiCo press release, “Our employees envisioned this garden as a catalyst to integrate healthful, locally grown herbs and vegetables into their everyday lives. I believe that it will also be a source of inspiration for innovation in our products and operations.” PepsiCo uses nature to promote creative ways in preserving natural resources and decreasing its environmental footprint.
The Centre at Purchase, the IBM Office Building Complex, Fordham University, and the PepsiCo World Headquarters, corporations use a mix of landscaping, trees, lighting and water to create a corporate image unlike any other. An image that promotes creativity by means of open and green space as well as the heightening of employee production. Spaces of nature are being revitalized to be planned corporate estates and campuses. Nature is being used as a sales tool by using an “aesthetic strategy” corporations design their corporate campuses to attract both qualified employees and promote a community in nature in order to facilitate creativity and flow of ideas. Promoting a vision of rolling hills, flowers and having lunch by a pond with fellow co-workers is what brings people to these work spaces. Marketing the perfectly manicured ponds and walking trails, attracts employees and visitors to these corporate estates. Unique ideas such as the pyramid windows seen from the highway off the IBM building complex and the PepsiCo sculpture gardens become widely recognized thus strengthening corporate image. Having the technological advanced equipment inside while being able to enjoy nature outside plus various meeting areas makes people want to work in this type of environment.
[1] Wood, D. "Selling The Suburbs: Nature, Landscape, Adverts, Community." Transformations 5 (2002): 1-10. Reference Search. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
[2] Duffy, F. (2002) 'Innovation in Dallas', Architectural Record, Vol. 190, No. 6, pp. 1-6 (html); Hampton, B. (2002) 'Why Corporate Campuses Make Sense in all Economic Conditions', Site Selection, pp. 49-52; Hawkins, B. L., (2002) 'All Together NOW', Facilities Design & Management, Vol. 21, Nt). 6, pp, 40=44;
[3] The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business Chandler, Alfred D. (Alfred Dupont). Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1977.
[4] "Buildings." The Centre at Purchase.
[5] Architecture, The Centre at Purchase
[6] Amenities, The Centre at Purchase
[7] Miller, Nancy A. "Building Corporate Image In The Suburban American Landscape 1939-1961." (1999): n. pag. Rpt. in Dissertation. N.p.: University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Fordham University Library. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
[8] "105 Corporate Park Drive - RXR Realty." RXR Realty. RXR Realty 2012, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://www.rxrrealty.com/portfolio/westchester-connecticut/harrison/105-corporate-park-drive-2/>.
[9] "At an I.B.M. Complex, Fear and Disbelief." The New York Times
[10] "PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects - Official Site." PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects - Official Site.
[11] PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects
[12] PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects
[13] PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects
[14] Miller, Nancy A. "Building Corporate Image In The Suburban American Landscape 1939-1961." (1999): n. pag. Rpt. in Dissertation. N.p.: University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Fordham University Library. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
[15] Journal of Corporate Real Estate (344-65)
[16] Antman, Rachel A. "DAY TRIP; Modern Sculptures, Outdoors and Free."
[17] "DAY TRIP; Modern Sculptures, Outdoors and Free."
Photo Credit: panoramio.com
Companies design their corporate campuses both to attract qualified employees and to promote a community in nature in order to facilitate creativity and the flow of ideas. Corporations use an “aesthetic strategy” to promote a new kind of corporate image, one with scenic landscapes, ponds, lakes, trees, flowers and natural light. Aesthetic strategy is the peacefulness that is in direct opposition to the bustling urbanity of the city.[1] Nature is an incentive to get employees to move and work in the suburbs. Some companies using aesthetic strategies are PepsiCo and IBM Architectural Record reported that moving corporate headquarters into the suburbs helps create stronger branding, business continuity, and enhanced attraction and retention. [2] When corporations move outside the city, they use innovative ways of marketing themselves to the public and to future investors. Designing corporate estates is a competitive market to attract employees to work “in nature.” Therefore, the public found these moves into the suburbs uncommon; it was up to the companies to allay the fear.[3]
The notion of a corporate campus emerged after World War II in an effort to duplicate the intellectual atmosphere of a university in a work environment. Fordham Westchester in Harrison, New York, neighboring the Cross-Westchester Expressway is a graduate school location. Once a used as a corporate campus for NYNEX and as rental commercial space, this three story building has been revitalized with classrooms, conference rooms and administrative offices. The campus is conveniently located off major highways, public transportation and near Connecticut, attracting students and business people from all directions. The campus is located on a heavily wooded area with a stream and a pond. A perfectly landscaped garden courtyard was strategically placed where natural lights and hues of green can be enjoyed.
The Centre at Purchase
The Centre at Purchase is one of the corporate campus along the Interstate 287 (Cross Westchester Expressway) that is changing its look and design to attract investors, employees and new businesses. George Comfort & Sons, Inc. is the commercial real estate company responsible for the architectural design of the buildings, the corporate park itself, and the landscaping. The Centre at Purchase is proud of being a “high performance corporate campus, delivering metropolitan innovation in a suburban, park-like setting.”[4] A park-like setting in nature is a crucial element in discussing the advertising and success of a corporate campus.
The crossroad of the I-287 and the I-684 (The Hutchinson River Parkway) make The Center at Purchase an accessible place to get to along with a Metro North stop in Rye, N.Y. The campus itself is placed on 43 acres of “manicured grounds” which gives the effects of being both “calming and invigorating.”[5] When employees are happy in their work environment it leads to a high productivity level. The purpose of landscaping and the use of nature is to inspire employees to focus and build creativity.
It has been argued that traveling from building to building on a corporate campus to get to meetings for example is “wasted time” in contrast to “productive time”. Surveys and interviews conducted at three different corporations in London by Architectural Record have shown that staff used this time to interact with co-workers. The campus as a whole is trying to promote a pedestrian-friendly space. The Centre at Purchase is designed around a “running-water pond and pristine courtyard centerpiece”[6], in which walkways have been placed connecting to the various buildings around the campus. These amenities have been thought to give employees a positive feeling or outlook, such as being happy to come to work. A major goal in industry success is creating the highest amount of employee productivity possible. In bringing together highly qualified employees to setting such as a corporate campus, it encourages these people to work as a team using an exchange of ideas rather the classic solo cubical. The ‘koi pond’ is advertised as one of the new amenities offered by the planners of this project. The Centre café offers outdoor seating overlooking a pond and trees. From the café there are walkways leading to nature trails near the Manhattanville College campus.
Corporate campuses represent the architectural shift away from the urban and into the contemporary American landscape.[7] The feeling of working in a place with rolling green acres, ponds, lakes, and trees enhances the creative juices in employees, a place to not only work the mind but relax it as well. The promise of parking, a cafeteria as well as restaurants and hotels nearby, the access to other parts of the area via highway or commuter rail, in which prospective employees want to enjoy as well as work. “Workday productivity is paramount to building a successful business. Platinum Mile tenants may work at their leisure, both indoors and outdoors, among the peaceful park-like premises or from the relaxed environment of the properties’ Internet cafes.”[8]
I.B.M. Office Building Complex
The IBM Office Building Complex is located in Somers, New York, a northeastern region in Westchester. The campus sits atop a hill extending down a winding road to the “pastoral countryside below.”[9] The campus is on 750 acres of land connected by highways 100, 116, and 138 along the Muscoot Reservoir in Westchester. The proximity of highways led to the building of five miles of new roads to create access in and out of the campus.
The way in which this corporate campus incorporates nature into the atmosphere is different from other corporate campuses. Rather than investing in landscaping and man-made ponds, lead designer Theodore J. Musho constructed a 50-foot high pyramidal skylight. The intent of this massive skylight is to “bring the great outdoors inside.”[10] Even more interesting is the fact that the points of these pyramids can be seen from the highways as if they are peeking out of the forest in efforts to create a “memorable public identity.”[11]
On a corporate campus it is likely the company is more “visible” as opposed to being in a crowded city competing with other corporate images. When a corporation has a strong corporate identity it then in turn strengthens an employee’s commitment to the company therefore increasing production. In 1985, a new project was constructed which was the Entrance Pavilion, Gatehouse and Site Enhancement. Lead designer I.M. Pei planned a new 2-story entrance to “improve access and security while respecting, and augmenting, corporate identity.”[12] On the second story entrance a garden pavilion replaced a grass structure designed by an earlier planner. The purpose of these changes were in efforts to make a more visible entrance, one in which makes an “inviting transition between outside and in.”[13] Natural light was a very important tool in this project, making a balance with artificial light from the inside.
Image and identity are the two most crucial ways in which to advertise a company to an array of groups. A positive corporate image or corporate identity attracts prospective employees and investors. When a corporation has a strong corporate identity it then in turn strengthens an employee’s commitment to the company therefore increasing production. High quality products and services are produced where ideas and information flows within a company. The image by corporations is one that is technologically and socially advanced with appealing amenities, manicured landscaping and construction standardization. Using nature such as trees, grass and gardens is what allows employees to create high-quality products. These attractions lured many Americans to the suburbs, in search of new homes and better employment.[14]
Architecture plays a role in this image because it allows companies to brand and decorate their campus with things that show what their company is about therefore marketing their “corporate image”, how they want others to view them. Furnishings, paintings and high-quality décor make visitors and employees feel comfortable and “at home”, another pull to work in a corporate campus environment. The way in which conference rooms, public spaces or employee offices are maintained reflects the value for which the company has for its employees. “The company says that people are their greatest asset and if you look at the built environment. It's a different kind of branding ... way of representing the corporate values; not just by having a brand name on the outside for clients to see.'”[15] Company hierarchies become vaguer because the teams created include employees from various divisions. Employees are accustomed to the hierarchy presented by a sky scraper, the new combers on the lower levels with the rationale that when you move up in the building you are also moving up in the company. At a corporate campus, it is as if the sky scraper has been placed on the horizontal, where all employees are equal working as a team.
PepsiCo World Headquarters
Unique and visible architecture helps attract future employees, investors and business partners. Companies are able to use their surrounding environments to portray their appreciation for the region and its staff. Approximately an hour from New York City in Purchase, New York, is where PepsiCo decided to move its headquarters to in the 1970. Using a previously use polo club, Donald M. Kendall wanted to “create an atmosphere of stability, creativity and experimentation.”[16] This atmosphere was not just for employees but also tourists, the surrounding residents and the public. The Donald M. Kendall Sculpture Gardens were thus created, a museum without walls for everyone to enjoy.
The land in which PepsiCo is situated on is 168 acres of “green lawns, tress, ponds, fountains, and landscaped gardens with a topiary, well-tended hedges, flower beds and water-lily ponds.”[17] The original landscaping design was planned by E.D. Stone Jr. who strategically balanced the sculptures with the green stage of nature. One of the most well known pieces of art in the gardens is Robert Davidson’s “Totems,” which can be found by walking along the tree-lined paths that surround the pond. There are also other sculptures located more deep in the densely wooded areas. It was the intent of the artist to have his sculptures placed what resembles an ‘enchanted’ or mysterious forest.
In addition to the sculpture garden, PepsiCo has also established an organic vegetable garden run and maintained by the employees. Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi stated in a PepsiCo press release, “Our employees envisioned this garden as a catalyst to integrate healthful, locally grown herbs and vegetables into their everyday lives. I believe that it will also be a source of inspiration for innovation in our products and operations.” PepsiCo uses nature to promote creative ways in preserving natural resources and decreasing its environmental footprint.
The Centre at Purchase, the IBM Office Building Complex, Fordham University, and the PepsiCo World Headquarters, corporations use a mix of landscaping, trees, lighting and water to create a corporate image unlike any other. An image that promotes creativity by means of open and green space as well as the heightening of employee production. Spaces of nature are being revitalized to be planned corporate estates and campuses. Nature is being used as a sales tool by using an “aesthetic strategy” corporations design their corporate campuses to attract both qualified employees and promote a community in nature in order to facilitate creativity and flow of ideas. Promoting a vision of rolling hills, flowers and having lunch by a pond with fellow co-workers is what brings people to these work spaces. Marketing the perfectly manicured ponds and walking trails, attracts employees and visitors to these corporate estates. Unique ideas such as the pyramid windows seen from the highway off the IBM building complex and the PepsiCo sculpture gardens become widely recognized thus strengthening corporate image. Having the technological advanced equipment inside while being able to enjoy nature outside plus various meeting areas makes people want to work in this type of environment.
[1] Wood, D. "Selling The Suburbs: Nature, Landscape, Adverts, Community." Transformations 5 (2002): 1-10. Reference Search. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
[2] Duffy, F. (2002) 'Innovation in Dallas', Architectural Record, Vol. 190, No. 6, pp. 1-6 (html); Hampton, B. (2002) 'Why Corporate Campuses Make Sense in all Economic Conditions', Site Selection, pp. 49-52; Hawkins, B. L., (2002) 'All Together NOW', Facilities Design & Management, Vol. 21, Nt). 6, pp, 40=44;
[3] The Visible Hand: The Managerial Revolution in American Business Chandler, Alfred D. (Alfred Dupont). Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1977.
[4] "Buildings." The Centre at Purchase.
[5] Architecture, The Centre at Purchase
[6] Amenities, The Centre at Purchase
[7] Miller, Nancy A. "Building Corporate Image In The Suburban American Landscape 1939-1961." (1999): n. pag. Rpt. in Dissertation. N.p.: University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Fordham University Library. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
[8] "105 Corporate Park Drive - RXR Realty." RXR Realty. RXR Realty 2012, n.d. Web. 02 Oct. 2012. <http://www.rxrrealty.com/portfolio/westchester-connecticut/harrison/105-corporate-park-drive-2/>.
[9] "At an I.B.M. Complex, Fear and Disbelief." The New York Times
[10] "PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects - Official Site." PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects - Official Site.
[11] PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects
[12] PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects
[13] PEI COBB FREED & PARTNERS Architects
[14] Miller, Nancy A. "Building Corporate Image In The Suburban American Landscape 1939-1961." (1999): n. pag. Rpt. in Dissertation. N.p.: University of Pennsylvania, n.d. Fordham University Library. Web. 31 Oct. 2012.
[15] Journal of Corporate Real Estate (344-65)
[16] Antman, Rachel A. "DAY TRIP; Modern Sculptures, Outdoors and Free."
[17] "DAY TRIP; Modern Sculptures, Outdoors and Free."
Photo Credit: panoramio.com