Liberty Mutual Insurance Regional Offices Legacy West in Plano, Texas

Expertise

Parking Structure
Office
Food Service

Size

1,100,000 SF

Creating the Corporate Campus

Liberty Mutual Regional Offices is located at the corner of State Highway 121 and the North Dallas Tollway at the vibrant Legacy West development. The 1,100,000 SF Liberty Mutual office building will provide a modern work environment for 5,000 employees. With a height of nearly 300 feet, the Liberty Mutual campus is the tallest office project in Plano. Liberty Mutual sought out to create a community-centered workplace that reinforces the company’s unique local identity. And we did just that. The building consolidates their local businesses – allowing for the alignment of mission and values, enhancement and definition of culture, as well as access to information and exchange.

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Translating Office Culture into Real Design

Initially, our client wrote out its core values and asked us to center the design around these principles: We behave with integrity. We treat people with dignity and respect. We motivate, inspire and engage talent. We deliver an exceptional customer experience. We continuously improve and innovate. We execute thoroughly and seek excellence. With these in mind, we challenged ourselves to think of ways to manifest these principles through the design of the building. As a result, Community, Connectivity and Circulation were cornerstones for the design of the entire building. Our client sought an integrated space focused on the experience of the individual, while creating an egalitarian environment designed for all.

5,000 Employees
2 Rooftop Courtyards
11 Floors per Office Tower
7 Level Parking Structure

Executing Design and Programming Goals

The key challenges were accommodating building amenities and customer contact centers on one ‘super floor’ that would deliver an experience of connection to the outside while creating connectivity for a campus environment. Thus was born the community floor, located on the 8th floor and measuring 250,000 square feet (nearly the size of five football fields). Everyone arrives and goes through the community floor, regardless of rank or standing, each morning. The community floor is the bridge between the two towers where everyone is encouraged to interact, break bread together and connect as fellow members of the Liberty Mutual community. This approach once again drove home their desire for a less-hierarchal corporate culture.

Innovative Use of Technology

Connectivity was one of the key project objectives. This included state-of-the-art technology throughout the entire complex allowing for any team member to plug and play wherever they needed to, from conference rooms to breakout areas to unassigned workspaces. Additionally, all employees receive a food card that gives them access to the fully stocked servery. At any point, they can pick up an item, scan it, and pay for it at a kiosk station with their card.
Sustainable Design

The Liberty Mutual Campus at Legacy West has been awarded the LEED Gold certification and is 20 percent more energy efficient than the typical modern office, ultimately saving the client money in operating costs. Specific focus was given to areas that can be identified to help reduction of costs, such as the usual big ticket items like structural elements and mechanical systems. The design team provided options to the Liberty Mutual team to target the right mix of efficient designs while also matching maintenance requirements.
Improving Workplace Productivity

Workplace productivity is optimized through the technology and choice design strategy. Natural daylighting and connection to outdoor spaces, as well as the ability to work anywhere on campus created a more productive and engaged employee. In addition to engagement, daylighting provides significant cost savings for operations. Roof monitors (angled skylights) accommodate indirect natural light throughout and paired with furniture-based lighting solutions resulted in a major reduction of overhead lighting. This allows for lighting to be turned off when not used. With happier workers, the client hopes to create a better workplace that ultimately results in a better customer experience.

Creative Workplace Concepts

The community floor features a marketplace offering a variety of fresh and local foods, choice of seating areas, a freestanding Starbucks coffee bar, two outdoor courtyards, two conference centers and a health center. At the center of the 8th floor, a town square serves as the heartbeat of the building where all employees flow through. Two 11-story office towers rest on this community floor and are provided with fantastic views of Legacy West and the surrounding community of Plano. The towers were cleverly massed and designed to be identical, but the placement and orientation relative to each other created a composition that is both sculptural and unique to the emerging Plano skyline.

Site Plan
Massing Study
Concept Diagram
Programming & Circulation Diagram
Community Floor
Community Floor
Meeting Spaces
Color, Lighting & Graphics
Contextual Design

Site Plan
Massing Study
Concept Diagram
Programming & Circulation Diagram
During the design phase, a lot of attention was given to the users and how employees would move through the building.
Community Floor
Everyone arrives and goes through the community floor, regardless of rank or standing, each morning. The community floor is the bridge between the two towers where everyone is encouraged to interact, break bread together and connect as fellow members of the Liberty Mutual community.
Community Floor
The larger outdoor courtyard on the 8th Floor and Town Square area are the central focal points of the community floor. The courtyards, along with the open multipurpose space, comprise the “town square”. The central “town square” holds café seating during a normal day and transforms into an all hands space for events. The design team highlighted these zones using lighting, rich natural materials and architectural details.
Meeting Spaces
Each of the two conference centers hold a variety of small meeting and huddle rooms, as well as larger meeting and training spaces that can be divided into smaller rooms for ultimate flexibility. Generous interior circulation provides impromptu meeting and pre-function space outside of the large conference and training rooms.
Color, Lighting & Graphics
The design team capitalized on color, lighting, graphics and architectural elements to guide employees through the space to reinforce a sense locality while reinforcing the clients’ community brand. Use of architectural elements as wayfinding is a common element found throughout the campus – from the sculptural coffee bar to the lit forms at each end of the building. Both entrances to the eighth-floor feature foundational branded signage that underscores the company’s culture and values.
Contextual Design
The use of local Texas shell stone and Texas Cordova Cream stone at each entry to the community floor further emphasizes the client’s connection to the region and community. Throughout the space, the warmth and texture of the materials —Texas stones, blackened copper, leathers, terracotta tiles, and regional plant materials — are inspired by North Texas and highlight the client’s commitment to this office having a North Texas feel.

Cost & Schedule Reduction

After evaluating several strategies, the clear solution was to split the project into two packages: core and shell and interior design. As a result, we were able to deliver this project with only a 27-month construction schedule. Placing the building atop a parking podium, versus below-grade, created significant cost savings for the project. This saved the project money, while creating great views for all employees and enhancing access to natural light by lifting the entire project above surrounding retail developments. Concurrent planning and design of core and shell with interiors allowed for a reduced footprint as the program, function and cross-function were planned in tandem reducing inefficiencies.