New Headquarters for a New Millennium

In my previous post I discussed the intricacies of Wieden & Kennedy’s famed meeting room, known as ‘The Nest.’ While this may be the agency’s most well recognized feature, the entire headquarters is quite spectacular in itself.

The company opened shop in 1982, where they originally operated from the former GranTree Rental Furniture building of downtown Portland. The site would remain home to the agency for nearly 20 years, until the year 2000, when Wieden decided it had become too cramped for its 250 employees and lacked the necessary innovative flair he was looking for. With bigger plans in mind, Wieden set out to create what he would eventually call “a creative institution, a synergistic hub where business, art, and community (would thrive).”

To accomplish his mission, Wieden looked to build an agency headquarters that would better the creative thinking and artistic talents of his staff. With nearly $780 million in billings during 2000, Wieden relocated the company to a 22,000 square-foot building in Portland’s Pearl District, which was originally built over 100 years ago in 1908. This, however, was only the beginning of what their offices have become. With the help of Allied Works Architecture, Inc., Wieden hollowed out the building’s core in order to give the space a more open, naturally lit work environment. In fact, the hollowed area now serves as a six story atrium in which all employees can meet at a single time, with ‘The Nest’ hanging securely above it. 

Future headquarters of Wieden & Kennedy (1917)
224 NW 13th Avenue
Portland, OR 97209



Once primary infrastructure was complete, Wieden joined forces with more than 30 different companies for an epic overhaul of the existing interior and exterior structural design. If you’re wondering about the odd number of contractors used in the process, it can likely be attributed to the agency’s custom designed doors, garage, hand rails, desks, tables, bookshelves, and ceiling fixtures, to name a few. Wieden even sprung for a custom concrete floor to compliment the vibrant timbers found throughout the building. As if this wasn’t enough, the work of over 15 individual fabricators can be found throughout the agency in the form of rugs, chairs, sofas, pillows, and other various pieces. Still, the scope of the remodel goes far beyond this.



View from atop the atrium

Aside from the variation encompassed by the agency, the new home is also equipped with a 275-seat amphitheater, screening room, first-rate gymnasium, and penthouse level complete with a café and reference library. In 2004, Wieden shared his vision of the headquarters by stating, “I want people outside to think, ‘Geez, that would be a cool place to work.’ And I want the people already here to have a creative outlet--so they won't leave and go off to Hollywood.”  The agency is all about its employees, which you can inference from the lobby wall covered with pictures of every worker in the building. There’s even a totem pole for visitors to admire, along with artistic works placed at many different points throughout.

Inside the amphitheater

The lobby photo wall

Art showcase displaying works from Wieden & Kennedy's Shanghai employees

All in all, I think it’s safe to say you won’t find another building quite like this.

Rothburd, C. (n.d.). Wieden + Kennedy, Inc. In Answers.com. Retrieved March 14, 2011, from <http://www.answers.com/topic/wieden-kennedy>

Wieden & Kennedy Headquarters. (n.d.). In Architectual Record. Retrieved March 25, 2011, from <http://archrecord.construction.com/features/bwarAwards/archives/01wieden2.asp>