A forward-looking workplace

The 1-million-square-foot headquarters of Baxter Travenol (now Baxter International) was designed to provide a flexible framework in which a pharmaceutical industry leader could continue to innovate and expand. SOM’s master plan for the 179-acre site called for a cluster of highly flexible, two- and three-story modular office pavilions that could expand outward from its signature Central Facilities Building. This iconic campus center is characterized by its cable-stayed roof, featuring twin masts that are visible from a nearby expressway as a regional landmark. At once experimental and pragmatic, the suspension-bridge-like structure provides column-free interiors for the cafeteria, auditorium, and training center, which are still in use today.

The first phase, which was designed in 1972 and completed in 1975, also included four typical office pavilions, as well as an executive pavilion, and two parking garages, all sited in a rolling landscape. Respectful of the bucolic site, the plan conceals the parking structures while a ring of man-made ponds serve both to soften the perimeter of the sprawling property and to mitigate flooding. The landscaping also affords expansive vistas for employees, as many of the workspaces are oriented towards outward-facing windows.

Maximizing flexibility inside and out

The innovative master plan is conceived as a flexible cluster that can expand along a central axis, anchored by the Central Facilities Building and parking garages. The individual office pavilions are constructed on a modular system to evolve over time to accommodate space needs—expanding or contracting—or function, i.e. office vs. research space. In order to maximize the flexibility of the interior space, SOM designed a plan based on modular units with a minimum of full-height closed offices along the short ends. Semi-private offices are delineated with easily movable five-foot high partitions. The desks, bookshelves, files, and furnishings are all modular. Uniform electric and telephone floor ducts are easily accessible beneath modular carpet tiles. Thus, workstations can virtually be modified overnight.

The Baxter International campus was also designed for energy efficiency, with mechanical systems consolidated in a single, centrally located, computerized panel to allow control and monitoring of all systems within the complex, feeding outward to pavilions, each with its own fan system. Elevated walkways at the second level and an underground pedestrian network connect the buildings and were designed such that additional buildings could be added with minimal disruption to office operations, as was the case when the headquarters was expanded in 1984.