Overview
Bandwidth HQ, an award winning, one-of-a-kind campus located in Raleigh, NC, recently celebrated 1 year since opening day. Designed to support staff and harness the company’s human-centric ethos, the 40.2 acre campus features several amenities that enhance the work experience. “Bandwidth has raised the bar on what it means to be together, physically, in the workplace,” says Bandwidth CEO and founder David Morken in a CBS17 interview, “When we work together, innovating and collaborating, magic happens. It creates a vitality and a spirit that elevates how we achieve our mission to serve our customers.” As many businesses moved to remote or hybrid work policies, Bandwidth maintained its stance to have their staff come to the ‘office’ during the work week. With this effort in mind, the campus became a place where staff could experience Bandwidth’s whole person philosophy and in design, it was our team’s task to create spaces that honor Bandwidth’s dedicated team and the site’s sensitive context.
Site Selection & Features
Several sites were evaluated and tested prior to the selection of the site at the crossroads of Edwards Mill and Reedy Creek, northwest of downtown Raleigh and less than a mile from the North Carolina Museum of Art. The selected site for the new HQ was once a sparse plot utilized for overflow parking for the annual NC State Fair and presented many challenges of a previously disturbed site. To the west of the site is Schenk Memorial Forest, an experimental, mixed pine-hardwood forest owned and managed by North Carolina State University, spanning over 245 acres, and William B. Umstead State Park, a 2,600-acre park and preserve cherished for its recreational trails and natural beauty. Across the street from the Bandwidth site is North Carolina State University’s Reedy Creek Equine Farm, home of the university’s Equine Veterinary program and to the east is another environmental education-focused facility, the Prairie Ridge Ecostation. Considering the significant local context of this site, this location was ideal to support Bandwidth’s multi-faceted culture but also the desire to connect to nature for its therapeutic benefits.
At the start of site planning, our team at Surface was heavily inspired by the local context and multiple pre-existing connections. The dense pine forests and bucolic atmosphere set a tone of tranquility and a willingness to spend time outdoors. To seamlessly blend the site with the existing forestry, our plans incorporated reforestation and revegetation of the site to promote healthy biodiversity for the campus and surrounding area. With Bandwidth’s goal in encouraging wellness for all, we centered our focus on creating flexible, interconnected outdoor spaces that allow Bandmates to come together in various scenarios: courtyards for conversations during lunch hour, the open lawn for hosting events, the amphitheater for a Bandmate team huddle composed of all staff, athletic fields and courts for active play, the Ohana courtyard for children to explore their curiosities of the outdoors, and much more. In addition to these gathering centered spaces our design embraced local connectivity, integrating a one-mile trail that circulates through the campus and links to the local trail system network. This trail system connects to the well-regarded City of Raleigh Greenway system which includes hundreds of miles of trails such as Reedy Creek, passing through NCMA, and leading to downtown Raleigh. A disc golf course, located in the southern part of campus, presents a fun opportunity for Bandmates to be physically active and team-build through friendly competition. These spaces and amenities capture the human spirit and nature into cohesion.
Bandwidth’s mission not only encourages togetherness, but also environmental sustainability and local community. Thousands of new trees and plantings now reforest the once barren and compacted site and a central pond feature with an amphitheater becomes a primary receiver of site run-off before overflowing to stormwater facilities to the north and south. A cause that is near and dear to Bandwidth is their contributions toward Bee-Downtown, a non-profit organization jumpstarted by a passionate beekeeper in Durham, North Carolina. “We originally invested in the bees for the honey, the hive tours and most importantly the cause. But what we never expected was the bees to become a powerful symbol of our culture,” Chad Sattler, Bandwidth Art Director stated. As a result, we conceptualized an on-site apiary dedicated to local honeybees to pollinate native plantings and build their colonies. The apiary has brought the Bandwidth long-term joy and multiple benefits environmentally and socially.
The Ohana
Lastly, identified as the keystone of campus – the Ohana, an onsite daycare facility supporting young parents working at Bandwidth. The Ohana is the heart of Bandwidth HQ, the symbol of family (the definition of Ohana) and work-life balance. CEO Morken envisioned placing the Ohana nearest to office buildings to serve as a tool that encourages productivity but also allows parents to visit their children during their breaks and enables them to be part of their growing years. Whether seen or heard, the imaginative spirit and laughter of these children decreases stress and bring moments of joy during work hours. This building offers a childcare program for early education in a nurturing environment with an expansive playground, inspired by the varying landscapes of North Carolina, for tactile learning during work hours.
The east side of the playground represents the Carolina Coast with a shallow “dry creek bed” feature that transforms into a water feature amidst a rain event. Mounded garden beds represent the coast with a boat themed play structure anchored into the landscape. The center of the playground represents the Carolina Piedmont, home of Bandwidth’s campus, featuring native plantings, natural play areas, and a meandering path that connects the “mountains to sea.” The final area of the playground represents the Mountains with varying topography through the use of play mounds and coniferous trees. Bountiful trees and shade structures help keep the overall playground cooler during the summer season. The 45,000 SF building has ample space for child development and discovery with an intricately designed landscape for their inquisitive nature to explore.
Part of a work-life balance not only includes the ability to tend to Bandwidth’s Bandmates and their families, but also their well-being. Several amenities on campus, including a full fitness and sports facility, a soccer field, tennis/pickleball courts, basketball courts, and a mile-long trail, offer many opportunities for recreation and exercise as well as relaxation and immersion among natural landscapes. Extensive spaces, such as the amphitheater and event lawn, provide areas for large events uniting Bandmates and their families together. As CEO David Morken stated in response to a WRAL Tech Wire question addressing site amenities, “And while we are exceptionally proud of the physical space…The most priceless gift we can give is the joy and relationships of working and being with each other.”
From start to finish our team was heavily inspired by their practices and aspirations, which is directly reflected in the site’s design. It was an honor to contribute toward Bandwidth’s ambitious vision.