San Francisco (October 12, 2021) – We’re thrilled to share that Uber’s Mission Bay World Headquarters has been honored in Fast Company’s 2021 Innovation by Design Awards in the Real Estate category.
The 10th anniversary of the awards recognizes people, teams, and companies that transform businesses, organizations, and society through design. One of the most sought-after design awards in the industry, Innovation by Design is the only competition to honor creative work at the intersection of design, business, and innovation, recognizing the people, companies, and trends that have steadily advanced design to the forefront of the business conversation. Entries are judged on the key ingredients of innovation: functionality, originality, beauty, sustainability, user insight, cultural impact, and business impact.
Uber’s Mission Bay World Headquarters, located in the heart of San Francisco, comprises four buildings totaling over 1 million square feet and completely reimagines real estate design and development by prioritizing high-performance design every step of the way to create a workplace fully committed to the health, wellness, and connectivity of its employees.
By incorporating design features that are third-party verified to both support human health and the natural environment, the campus is a physical manifestation of the need for alignment between healthy people and a healthy environment. Design features include an “inside-out” theme that incorporates a network of circulation and gathering spaces, a “breathing” façade that integrates interior and exterior environments while maximizing daylight and ventilation, biophilic design elements that further connect employees to the natural world, healthy materials that add beauty and warmth, and a variety of spaces that enhance employee wellness.
Originally engaged as LEED consultant and commissioning agent on Blocks 3 and 4, Stok introduced the WELL Building Standard to the team as a way for Uber to further support its employees’ health and well-being. Aligning with Uber’s employee-centric company culture, the project team opted to ambitiously pursue WELL certification in addition to its initial LEED Gold target, with Stok leading both certification efforts at Blocks 3 and 4.
Currently, two of Uber’s headquarter buildings are certified LEED v4 Gold by the U.S. Green Building Council, with the remaining buildings going through review. All four buildings are Pre-Certified WELL v2 by the International WELL Building Institute, the first building standard focused exclusively on the ways that the built environment can and must enhance human health and wellness.
The campus also achieved the WELL Health-Safety Rating, a brand new third-party verification to prepare spaces for re-entry post-COVID-19, including implementation of procedures and programs to address cleaning and sanitization, emergency preparedness, health services, air and water quality management, and stakeholder engagement and communication.
“Design is not just a beauty contest. It’s something that can change the world and create solutions in a time when we face pressing global issues such as systemic racism, climate change, and a global pandemic. Many of these entries showcase these challenges while providing hope for the future through their steadfast commitment to elevate design.”
–Stephanie Mehta, Editor-in-Chief, Fast Company
Key project team members for Uber’s Mission Bay World Headquarters include Stok, SHoP Architects, Quezada Architecture, Huntsman Architectural Group, Atelier Ten, Alfa Tech, ZGF, Kendall Heaton Associates, JLL, and Alexandria Real Estate Equities.
Innovation by Design awardees are featured online and in the October issue of Fast Company magazine. To see the complete list of awardees in the Real Estate category, visit Fast Company.
ABOUT STOK
Stok is reimagining the built environment. Founded in 2008, we provide sustainability consulting, energy and performance engineering, and real estate and workplace solutions. We work across sectors to balance financial performance with environmental goals, resulting in high-performance buildings and exceptional human environments. Leveraging interdisciplinary expertise and knowledge from involvement on 1,000+ projects, we provide clients with strategy, management, and technical support through all phases of the project lifecycle—all under one roof. Stok serves six of the Forbes top 10 Most Valuable Brands, is a Certified B Corp, and is an ILFI Just organization. We service projects worldwide from offices in San Francisco, San Diego, and Denver. To learn more, visit stok.com or follow us on LinkedIn.
ABOUT FAST COMPANY
Fast Company is the only media brand fully dedicated to the vital intersection of business, innovation, and design, engaging the most influential leaders, companies, and thinkers on the future of business. The editor-in-chief is Stephanie Mehta. Headquartered in New York City, Fast Company is published by Mansueto Ventures LLC, along with its sister publication, Inc., and can be found online at fastcompany.com.
