As environmentally-minded corporate citizens, the Duracell Corporation wanted its new world headquarters to embody the ideals of environmental sustainability and an egalitarian corporate culture. Being familiar with our work on school campuses, Duracell believed that we would be able to design a building that was consistent with their collegial culture.


Our response was a corporate "campus" that blends naturally with the rolling terrain of the Connecticut woodlands, and incorporates recycled products into 50% recycled of its construction. The red brick gets its hue from scrap manganese dioxide powder, a by-product of Duracell's battery manufacturing process. The structural steel is made from recycled automobile bodies and demolished buildings.

The roofing contains recycled aluminum, the floor tiles contain recycled glass, and the acoustic tile ceilings are made from recycled newsprint, wood fibers and wool. The design also includes a five-story garage for 750 cars which tucks into a hillside to preserve the natural appearance of the site, and a covered arcade to provide a protected pedestrian link between the garage and the headquarters building.

When viewed from the exterior, the building is episodic, revealing itself in small segments as one drives or walks past it.