{"id":252923,"date":"2025-04-25T16:11:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T20:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=canvasflow&p=252923"},"modified":"2025-05-07T11:19:11","modified_gmt":"2025-05-07T15:19:11","slug":"brooks-running-hq-in-seattle-by-nbbj","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/brooks-running-hq-in-seattle-by-nbbj\/","title":{"rendered":"Inside The Dynamic Redesign Of Brooks Running’s HQ In Seattle"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A tile-clad banquette backs up into the platform of reclaimed engineered Douglas fir that anchors a lounge. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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April 25, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Rebecca Dalzell<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Inside The Dynamic Redesign Of Brooks Running’s HQ In Seattle<\/h1>\n\n\n

How do you bring a sense of movement to a modern office building? That was the central challenge NBBJ faced when conceiving an addition to the Seattle headquarters of sneaker manufacturer Brooks Running. After all, the brand\u2019s mission, underscored by its new tagline \u201cLet\u2019s Run There,\u201d is to inspire everyone to be active. Furthermore, the 113,200-square-foot site would support the development of innovative gear. A static space would not be a good fit. \u201cWe centered our concept around the belief that a run can be trans\u00adformative,\u201d NBBJ<\/a> partner Ryan Mullenix begins. \u201cOur part of the workplace is intended to evoke the experience of a great run and showcase the process that goes into making that run fantastic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even the location\u2014by a popular trail on Lake Union\u2014speaks to that philosophy. Brooks moved there in 2014 but its staff has since doubled in size, requiring a second building. The company expanded into a five-story property by Weber Thompson across the street, and the headquarters now houses more than 500 employees. The energy-efficient, mass-timber building is part of a local sustainability initiative that requires using healthy materials; NBBJ ensured that 95 percent of those incorporated are free of Red List chemicals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Walk The Talk At NBBJ’s Revamp Of Brooks Running’s HQ<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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For a five-story, 113,200-square-foot expansion to the Seattle headquarters of Brooks Running, a leading U.S. manufacturer of running footwear, NBBJ created references to the sport, like a corridor\u2019s custom wallcovering with trail-like graphics in the brand\u2019s signature blue. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Brooks tasked NBBJ with creating a flexible, collaborative office that would attract top talent and include sewing and materials libraries, a prototype lab, and shoe-testing areas. \u201cIt was critical to show off not only what they create but also how they think,\u201d Mullenix continues. Additionally, he and his team had to formulate an elite environment worthy of hosting top athletes and capture the Brooks culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Starting with the layout, NBBJ considered how the building could foster a sense of community within the company. Mullenix installed a welcoming caf\u00e9 on the ground floor, where employees can meet for breakfast  after a morning jog, and a gym and learning center on the second level. But most of the action happens on floors three to five, which house workstations and product-development areas. The latter faces the street, so passersby can see staffers creating sneakers; the quieter part in the back is for focused work, with collaboration spaces in between. NBBJ conceived a three-story atrium of sorts, made of glue-laminated spruce-pine-fir, to animate the interior, provide sightlines between floors, and host events and all-hands meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fostering A Sense Of Community At Brooks Running\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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In reception, the custom desk is upholstered in backlit Xorel Amalfi, a fabric that mimics running-shoe mesh, the wood wallcovering alludes to stacked shoeboxes, and the 3-D column logo is concrete-look painted acrylic. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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In the atrium, defined by glue-laminated spruce-pine-fir, flexible LED loops\u2014capped with custom plastic aglets\u2014resemble shoelaces as they drape over a pantry island wrapped in resin, its custom texture nodding to sneaker treads. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur idea was to make you feel connected the moment you step off the elevator,\u201d Mullenix says. There\u2019s no elevator vestibule; you land in the buzzing atrium. In the surrounding spaces, footwear developers can 3-D print a sole, experiment with different fabrics, and browse designs for upcoming seasons. In the gym, professional athletes test products on treadmills or turf. \u201cThey\u2019re constantly pushing the product until it breaks in,\u201d Mullenix adds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He and his team applied a similar principle to the interior. \u201cLike your favorite shoes, the building will get better with time as you use it,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt had to feel comfortable on day one but be able to change to accommodate more people and new technology.\u201d They developed what they call \u201cinfrastructure walls,\u201d thick partitions that house MEP systems and conduits. Other dividers are drywall with no wiring; they can be torn out easily to remove a small conference room or expand a lounge, of which there are five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stride Into Innovation With This Office Design<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Open white-oak shelves display sneakers at the building’s entry. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Stenciled floor numbers throughout evoke track lines. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A mural in the caf\u00e9 by local artist Shogo Ota depicts runners and references Brooks\u2019 history. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

NBBJ wove in running references throughout. Some are literal: The headquarters displays sneakers, motivational graphics in Brooks blue, and, in the caf\u00e9, a 50-foot mural by Seattle artist Shogo Ota inspired by the company\u2019s history. Track lines on the walls and floor provide wayfinding. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But other allusions are more subtle. Mullenix wrapped a pantry kitchen island in resin, adding a custom texture inspired by the treads of Brooks footwear. Above it hang flexible LED ropes that resemble shoelaces, their ends customized with Brooks aglets (plastic shoelace caps). Downstairs, the backlit reception desk is upholstered in a porous fabric that emulates sneaker mesh. Behind it, 8-foot-long shoelaces form a textured screen. \u201cThey make a direct connection to the brand without being too on the nose,\u201d Mullenix notes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Along the stair connecting the first and second floors, shoebox-size white-oak rectangles strung on cables at different angles, their perimeters painted blue or orange, form a screen meant to evoke a run along the water at dawn. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Shoelaces, in 8-foot lengths, sourced from the Brooks Running factory in Vietnam backdrop reception. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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A gallery wall of items from the company archives highlights the brand\u2019s history. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The same can be said of a nearby screen installed along stairs to the second floor, where windows face an unsightly back alley. Mullenix obscured the view with shoebox-size white-oak rectangles hung from vertical cables. Each wood panel has a painted metal shroud that angles out like the lid of a box, revealing shades of blue and orange. \u201cWe were looking to capture what it feels like on a morning run along the water, with the sun dappling the trees\u2014and the joy that comes from movement,\u201d Mullenix recalls. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The screen is denser at the bottom, but as the stairs are climbed, the panels turn out to bring in more light. Sun and shadow dapple the stairway in changing patterns throughout the day, energizing what could otherwise be a dead space. Runner or not, you get an endorphin boost. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Behind-the-Scenes Look at Brooks Running HQ Designed By NBBJ<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Track lines and linear LEDs add rhythm to a corridor floored in polished concrete. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A tile-clad banquette backs up into the platform of reclaimed engineered Douglas fir that anchors a lounge. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Custom clocks show the time of day at Brooks offices in Seattle, Indianapolis, and Amsterdam. Photography by Sean Airhart\/NBBJ.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Custom casework organizes the materials library. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Near the top floor\u2019s glass-enclosed conference rooms, Hana armchairs by Simone Bonanni furnish another lounge. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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A demonstration showroom is stacked above a design workroom, where products are developed for upcoming seasons, and both face the three-story atrium. Photography by Ty Cole.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
PROJECT TEAM<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

NBBJ:<\/strong> KELLY GRIFFIN; ALICIA JENKINS; JASMINE MITCHELL; BEN SPICER; MILES STEMPER; EMILY YENSLAND; ERIC LEVINE; ELLIOT RUPESTOCK; CHRISTINA SAKURA; MANDY SEEVER; JONAS KUO. CREO INDUSTRIAL ARTS:<\/strong> CUSTOM GRAPHICS FABRICATION. COUGHLIN PORTER LUNDEEN:<\/strong> STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. BURO HAPPOLD:<\/strong> MEP. GLUMAC:<\/strong> AV, IT. MISSION BELL:<\/strong> MILLWORK. SELLEN:<\/strong> GENERAL CONTRACTOR. PORTER INTERIORS:<\/strong> FURNITURE AND D\u00c9COR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRODUCT SOURCES<\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

FROM FRONT DREAMSCAPE:<\/strong> CUSTOM WALLCOVERING (HALL). CARNEGIE FABRICS:<\/strong> DESK FABRIC (RECEPTION). KOROSEAL:<\/strong> WALLCOVERING. ANTHOLOGY WOODS:<\/strong> PLATFORMS (LOUNGES). CREATIVE MATERIALS CORP:<\/strong> BANQUETTE TILE (LOUNGE). GRAND RAPIDS CHAIR:<\/strong> TABLE, BENCHES. BLU DOT:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURES. FORMICA:<\/strong> CUSTOM CASEWORK (LIBRARY). LUKE LAMP CO.:<\/strong> LED ROPES (ATRIUM). 3FORM:<\/strong> ISLAND (PANTRY). PEDRALI:<\/strong> STOOLS. LUUM:<\/strong> BANQUETTE FABRIC (CAF\u00c9). MOOOI:<\/strong> CHAIRS (TOP-FLOOR LOUNGE). THROUGHOUT BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.:<\/strong> PAINT.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n