Case Studies: Hoffmann-La Roche Office Building

The Hillier Group

A common challenge, given the economic realities of construction, is to design a deep-plan building while still offering day-lighting. The Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Office Building in Nutley, New Jersey, by Hillier, is a seven-story building with a 185-by-185-foot footprint - a square administration building. The goal of designing with effective daylight in mind is addressed through several basic strategies:

• The building is planned with a central core, to maximize the perimeter for daylighting. Beyond this, the core is offset at the north side where daylight penetrates the least and to accommodate the design of a skylit atrium stair to the south of the core at the location where the occupiable office space is furthest from the wall.
• Two story "work studios" anchor each of the building's four sides. With their tall glass openings, these spaces admit daylight deep into the building's center. A more conventional 13 ft floor to floor height predominates (9'-6" floor to finish ceiling), with the light nodes within the facility increasing daylight penetration to adjacent spaces.
• Within the standard office areas, interior and exterior light shelves redirect light onto the ceiling, bounding light back further into space, as well as offering shade and glare protection. Prismatic glazing in the transom window is angled to redirect sunlight and ambient light onto the ceiling plane, so that it becomes an indirect source in the space.

Overall the design illustrates an integrated lighting solution and how design decisions must work in concert to yield such a result. Client and design team interest, and proper use of relevant use of daylighting studies and tools contribute to a design where daylighting supplements electric lighting in a dynamic and energy efficient manner.