General Office Building for the Upjohn Company

Abstract

The architects, on realizing the vast possibilities of the site, decided to make use of the landscape as an integral part of the project, and sought to establish an intimate visual relationship between the exterior and interior, thus helping to make the work of the occupants of the building more pleasant. The resulting project has large glazed areas and is two storeys high. On the ground floor, besides general services and a garage, there is a hall, a cafeteria, a lounge, and a square patio that is highly landscaped. The second floor includes offices, board room, living quarters for the staff, dining hall, kitchen, dressing rooms and no less than seven patios, also much integrated with the outer environment. The roof is of a special metallic design, whose square pyramidal patterns are visible from the inside. These units are prefabricated. After careful planning, it was possible to eliminate the glare from the light, whilst achieving a good illumination level that has proved fully adequate to meet the functional requirements of the building and emphasize the shape and texture of things.