NBBJ's Samsung American HQs wins national steel design award

Held annually by the American Institute of Steel Construction, the IDEAS² awards recognize exceptional structural steel projects across the country and is the highest honor for building projects given by the industry. From nearly 100 submissions, 13 buildings were chosen and announced as the winners of the 2017 competition back in May. Among these winners was the Samsung American Headquarters, located in San Jose. Designed by the firm NBBJ, the project team will be presented with the award during a ceremony on August 9th.

The building was praised for it's gravity-defying engineering. With no perimeter columns on the east and west sides, the 10-story tower appears to float at every third level and offers occupants unobstructed external views. As April Y. Wang, a structural engineering masters student, who sat on jury noted, "the grand, floating tiers are engineering wonders that elevate the building to a future time."

The resulting spaces, and the atriums around them, are dedicated collaboration areas, facilitating casual meetings and breaks from the traditional work spaces. NBBJ architect Scott Wyatt told the Guardian that the design is "all about mobility" and is geared towards getting people out of their chairs as much as possible. The pairs of floors are separated by outdoor terraces so employees are never more than a floor away from some fresh air and the cafeteria is housed in a separate building so that workers have to venture, at least a little bit, to their lunch-time destination. 

Owner: Samsung Americas, San Jose, Calif.
Owner's Representative: Samsung C&T, San Jose, Calif.
Architect: NBBJ, Los Angeles
Structural Engineer: Arup, Los Angeles (entered the project in the competition)
General Contractor: Webcor, San Francisco
Steel Fabricator: Gayle Manufacturing, Woodland, Calif. (AISC member / AISC certified)
Steel Detailer: A.D.S. Engineering, Inc (AISC member)