Kohler, WI

Client
Kohler

Role
Design Principal in Charge
Gensler

The Kohler Creative Communications Center – home to the teams that direct advertising and merchandising for Kohler worldwide – is a 100,000 sq. ft., LEED Certified headquarters which expresses what the company does and how they do it. The building works like a lens that magnifies the organization's creative energy while establishing a strong and enduring presence for the brand on the Kohler campus. The design aids in attracting the best creative talent both in the region and internationally to join the Global Communications team in Kohler, Wisconsin. The base building is an abstract, minimally detailed concrete box that resonates with the natural prairie and wetland setting. The high bay volume, which houses the photo studio is clad in porcelain panels embossed with a water droplet pattern and weathered steel screen that extends above the building's volume to hide mechanical systems is similarly patterned. By night, the droplet pattern is illuminated, becoming an identifiable feature of the building as well as a lantern in the landscape for the entire Kohler Campus.