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Education Development Center
Education Development Center
Waltham, MA, United States
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Education Development Center
Waltham, MA, United States
The Education Development Center (EDC) is a global nonprofit
organization that designs, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to
address some of the world's most urgent challenges in education, health, and
economic opportunity. The new EDC headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts is
located in a former industrial building. Sasaki's design renders the space
flexible, sustainable, and supportive of teamwork and informal collaboration. The
design has not only transformed the physical space, but also impacted how
people work. EDC wanted the space to promote their mission of
inclusion and collaboration, yet, as researchers, they also needed private
spaces for focused work. Their new headquarters design provides neighborhoods
of open and enclosed private, touchdown and small group workspaces. The
neighborhoods border on two large conferencing and informal gathering zones.
The result is a unified space that balances privacy and community.
A large, communal piazza accommodates large meetings, group meals, or intimate
conversations. Joanne Brady, Director of the Learning and Teaching Division,
says, "We have, for the first time, informal meeting places that belong to
everyone rather than a center or particular group. The result is more common
ownership and use as well as an emerging norm for 'lift your head up, come out
of your office, and talk to a colleague when it is productive.'"
The common areas provide meeting space for EDC's far-flung teams of forty or
more and also accommodate telecommuter employees. A growing trend nationwide,
17 to 19% of EDC's staff works from home.
Bold color, inviting textures, and general increased visibility contribute to
the overall feel of the space. The colors, fabric, bright lights, and spacious
hallways all convey a sense of pride. The project was completed within a modest
budget, which necessitated creative solutions to achieve such an appealing look
and feel. Reclaimed barn board paneling unites two floors of collaborative work
zones with rich texture. Cushions added to soft seating provide layers and
depth of color.
Sasaki worked closely with lighting designer Atelier 10 to design an attractive
and highly efficient lighting system for the space. The design complements the
aesthetics of the office space while garnering EDC enormous savings. Efficient
light fixtures, smart design, task lights, and occupancy sensors contributed to
the new office using over 30% less energy for lighting than required by code,
earning EDC a $43,000 energy efficiency incentive from NStar.
Sustainability was important to EDC and the project team. All the new wood for
the doors and cabinets are sourced from a responsibly managed forest and other
materials have high recycled content and are regionally manufactured. The
construction team diverted 75% of construction waste from the landfill. Indoor
air quality was a high priority for the project. To reduce indoor air
contaminants, all of the materials in the building have low or no volatile
organic compounds and no added urea formaldehyde. Whenever possible, existing
furniture was reused. While not registered with the USGBC, the project was
designed to the LEED CI Silver level.
organization that designs, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to
address some of the world's most urgent challenges in education, health, and
economic opportunity. The new EDC headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts is
located in a former industrial building. Sasaki's design renders the space
flexible, sustainable, and supportive of teamwork and informal collaboration. The
design has not only transformed the physical space, but also impacted how
people work. EDC wanted the space to promote their mission of
inclusion and collaboration, yet, as researchers, they also needed private
spaces for focused work. Their new headquarters design provides neighborhoods
of open and enclosed private, touchdown and small group workspaces. The
neighborhoods border on two large conferencing and informal gathering zones.
The result is a unified space that balances privacy and community.
A large, communal piazza accommodates large meetings, group meals, or intimate
conversations. Joanne Brady, Director of the Learning and Teaching Division,
says, "We have, for the first time, informal meeting places that belong to
everyone rather than a center or particular group. The result is more common
ownership and use as well as an emerging norm for 'lift your head up, come out
of your office, and talk to a colleague when it is productive.'"
The common areas provide meeting space for EDC's far-flung teams of forty or
more and also accommodate telecommuter employees. A growing trend nationwide,
17 to 19% of EDC's staff works from home.
Bold color, inviting textures, and general increased visibility contribute to
the overall feel of the space. The colors, fabric, bright lights, and spacious
hallways all convey a sense of pride. The project was completed within a modest
budget, which necessitated creative solutions to achieve such an appealing look
and feel. Reclaimed barn board paneling unites two floors of collaborative work
zones with rich texture. Cushions added to soft seating provide layers and
depth of color.
Sasaki worked closely with lighting designer Atelier 10 to design an attractive
and highly efficient lighting system for the space. The design complements the
aesthetics of the office space while garnering EDC enormous savings. Efficient
light fixtures, smart design, task lights, and occupancy sensors contributed to
the new office using over 30% less energy for lighting than required by code,
earning EDC a $43,000 energy efficiency incentive from NStar.
Sustainability was important to EDC and the project team. All the new wood for
the doors and cabinets are sourced from a responsibly managed forest and other
materials have high recycled content and are regionally manufactured. The
construction team diverted 75% of construction waste from the landfill. Indoor
air quality was a high priority for the project. To reduce indoor air
contaminants, all of the materials in the building have low or no volatile
organic compounds and no added urea formaldehyde. Whenever possible, existing
furniture was reused. While not registered with the USGBC, the project was
designed to the LEED CI Silver level.
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