Photography: Jeremy Bittermann
SkB Architects has instilled the spirit of adventure in the design of the Holland America Group headquarters located in Seattle, Washington.
To bring Holland America Group’s brands—Holland America, Princess, and Seabourn—into closer alignment and increase operational efficiencies, the company sought to consolidate operations within a single facility. Securing a five-story, 150,000-square-foot building near Seattle’s waterfront (a building that was still in design), provided the opportunity to realize their vision in built form.
Holland America Group, originally founded in 1873 as a Dutch shipping line carrying both freight and passengers—and instrumental in transporting hundreds of thousands of immigrants to North America—is the embodiment of global travel. The spirit of adventure, an important part of the company’s DNA, is reflected in the design of its headquarters; a setting that embraces creativity and the cross-pollination of ideas. This sense of exploration and discovery begins in the reception area, which captures the spirit of a ticket office or a hotel’s concierge desk. Adjacent waiting areas provide comfortable seating decorated with subtle cues to travel, including a compass rose etched into the center of the atrium’s concrete floor. A digital, wall-sized global positioning display provides up-to-date locations of the company’s fleet, while brass nautical clocks in the sitting area reference the company’s ports of call.
