The Realogy Headquarters project involved the renovation of an existing 225,000-square-foot Verizon call center. KPF’s renovation is designed to provide a young, cutting-edge company with Class A offices in the natural, suburban setting of Madison, New Jersey. The design pulls nature directly into the office environment, creating a state-of-the-art workspace that is connected to its surroundings.
KPF’s design strategy cuts the central third out of the existing building to create a series of open-air courtyards. The central courtyard divides the building into two parallel office bars or wings whose ends face the parking space. A central connector, the lobby space, is conceived of as an architectural promenade leading to the third floor by way of an ornamental stair sequence.
In the design of the outdoor spaces, KPF collaborated with renowned landscape architects Nelson Byrd Woltz. The courtyard moves outward in layers into the parking area, which is re-envisioned as a part of the landscape. Landscape swales and plantings help to reestablish natural aquifers. The signature installation of land art in the courtyard is a reference to the geological formations of the site and the broader context of Madison.