The architects’ emphasis on native architecture and sustainable materials has received national recognition.

When FORTUNE magazine ranked Xilinx as fourth on its 2003 list of the 100 Best Companies to Work For™ in America, the editors based their selection on a range of criteria, including benefit packages, number of minority staff, and layoffs – or lack thereof. But Xilinx employees at the company’s Longmont, Colorado, campus can add to that list a literal “best place to work in.” Their new office building, opened in April 2002, has garnered several awards for its energy conservation and building design.

In June 2003, DTJ Design (the landscape architect, design architect, and master planner) and the Neenan Company (the architect of record and general contractor) received a Gold Nugget Award for the Best Office/Professional Building (less than 60,000 square feet) at the annual Pacific Coast Builders’ Conference.

The Longmont office has also received acclaim from the Colorado Renewable Energy Society, the Colorado Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, and the Colorado Society of Landscape Architects. Associate Len Segel of DTJ Design says, “We didn’t start out with the idea to create an award-winning building. Yet it was a really special project [for us] because it was a close collaboration with an enlightened client interested in innovation, flexible work stations, and in particular paying attention to employees’ needs.”

Indigenous Innovations
The Colorado landscape and Rocky Mountains backdrop served as the inspiration for many design elements. The architects fit one of three interconnecting buildings, or “segments,” into the side of a hill. The segments themselves are named “Prairie,” “Foothills,” and “Mountains” – all following the natural curvature of the topography.

The structure combines diverse architectural styles from plains, agricultural, and mountain-style dwellings, with arching canopies of gabled roofs and trusses, local quarry stone, rough-hewn lumber, and wooden braces. Snow slides right off the metal roof. A half-silo in the cafeteria mimics nearby agricultural structures. And a separate, 6,000-square-foot retreat center, accessible by a bridge from the upper level, has a lodge-like feel.

A winter garden in the central lobby features plants in a temperature-and-humidity controlled environment. Outdoors, the landscaping is indigenous to the native Colorado environment, including droughttolerant plants and native rock.

The 100-acre building site also includes a “wet meadow,” which remains as a natural feature. It continues to attract wildlife such as rabbits, birds, prairie dogs, and – to the delight of the employees – a family of foxes.

A Green Bill of Materials
Inside, sustainable and recycled materials literally run from floor to ceiling. The stairway in the entrance lobby is made of bamboo wood (actually a grass), and the winter garden features laminated timber trusses from young rather than old-growth forests.

Floors are linoleum, a natural material, or stained concrete, which is energy-efficient. Some of the interior walls comprise pressed, recycled sunflower seeds, which make for a visually appealing pattern. Cubicle walls, conference tables, even chair fabrics are all partially or entirely recycled material.

The lighting is particularly innovative – and cost-effective. A miniature lighting optical shelf (MOLS) system casts exterior daylight into the building’s interior; high-intensity, low-consumptive lighting then dims automatically to maintain a comfortable lumen level at the desktop.

To encourage employees to leave their cars at home and bike to work, the campus includes both indoor bike storage and an external rinsing station for muddy days. Biking paths throughout the perimeter of the campus connect to Boulder County biking paths.

Working Out the Details
The Longmont office is largely dedicated to programmable logic software development. Emulating that concept of reconfigurability, the building’s designers created flexible working spaces so that departments can be organized and reorganized to adapt to future business needs.

The bottom level includes lab spaces and infrastructure and support facilities, such as server rooms. A gym and cafeteria are also located on the bottom floor.

Both the lower and upper levels are built upon a system of raised flooring (and modular carpeting) so all of the air conditioning vents, network cables, and electrical wiring are contained beneath the floor rather than above. Thus, cubicle spaces can be configured into any shape, unencumbered by ducts or power poles.

The flooring system allows employees to control the airflow within their own cubicles, which according to Segel also has a cost benefit: “Rather than having to travel all the way from the ceiling – and fight any rising hot air as well – cool air or heat is delivered at the floor, closer to where the employees are sitting.”

Conference rooms, break areas, and restrooms are located in the center of each of the three building segments. The break rooms are furnished with high tables, bar seats, and a whiteboard for sudden brainstorming: “Innocent conversations can turn into opportunities for innovation,” says Segel.

Window offices are nonexistent at Xilinx. Everyone has access to the striking views of the surrounding landscape. Some rooms boast even more spectacular visuals and amenities, such as fireplaces and CD players. They are designed for informal meetings, relaxation, or both.

Room to Grow
Looking to the future, Xilinx and its architects drew up a master plan for building an additional one million square feet of office space – 10 buildings to accommodate as many as 4,000 more employees.

Reflecting on the completed portions of the project and those still yet to come, Segel explains that the overall theme will remain faithful to Colorado. “It feels like it’s a natural Colorado-type building, and that was very important to employees and to management – that it wouldn’t feel like a California facility but a Colorado facility.”

“We also tried to have the building be a recruiting tool to bring new employees to Xilinx and to retain employees with a great working environment,” Segel concludes.

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