Redesign of the 3M headquarters in St. Paul/USA

Former CEO George Buckley commissioned Peter Ebner and Friends and Hitohsi Abe to redesign the 3M World Headquarters, known as building 220. Ebner and Friends were commissioned to re-design the urban concept, the landscape south of building 220 and the interior renovation of building 220. Building 220 houses all 3M executive board members offices, which is a fourteen storey office tower block constructed in 1962. The re-design incorporated many 3M materials to enable a communicative and innovative mood to represent the global hi-tech concern of 3M. The original entrance hall was re-designed into a two-level zone, which opened onto a new landscaped park designed by Ebner; noted as the second largest perennial landscape park in the USA. The design strategy involved taking secondary support spaces throughout the building and surrounding terrain and transforming them into primary spaces for communication; to radically alter the overall perception and functionality of the building and encourage 3Mers to congregate and provide a variety of contemporary work environments that are not available in a traditional office setting. Ebner’s design also incorporated new direct connections between office buildings by skywalks, which were added to the existing structure. The reposition of the main entrance allows visitors direct access to the building. In addition to this meeting rooms with two-directional views enrich internal communication. The design process underlines the significance and interconnectivity of the building, park, plazas and skywalks.