The Center

The Center is the corporate headquarters of the Heritage Group, and sits on 50 acres and is buffered by a lush 30-acre deciduous woodland. The Center’s building footprint is surrounded 360-degrees by lush native landscape, inviting plaza spaces, accessible paths, ponds and water features. The architecture and the site blend in with the natural environment encouraging outdoor engagement.

The Center wanted a place that told the company’s story, provided centralized “incubating” spaces where ideas can grow and celebrate the company’s identity, cultivated a flexible work environment where employees are given the freedom to move and work in a variety of spaces, and offered a functional laboratory space where state-of-the-art equipment and top scientists can keep working towards a bigger and brighter future.

The project achieved SITES Gold certification in 2018. Using several highly effective strategies, such as orientation, shading, material properties and mechanical efficiencies to optimize the building's energy performance, the project estimates that it will save a projected $30,000 a year in utility costs. The site was designed with several sustainable features, including maximized green space and canopy with native vegetation; rain gardens, forebays and ponds to capture and treat stormwater; on-site ponds for a limited irrigation system; and landforms and water features to redirect and mitigate noise pollution. The project has also used local materials and sustainably harvested wood for the plazas, decks and boardwalks; installed LED lighting to reduce energy use; and incorporated over a mile of trails around the ponds and through the woodlands to allow employees and vistors to engage closely with the natural environment. All of these strategies combine to create an elegant, sustainable, high-performance working environment for users and visitors alike.