With the successful completion of the new Distribution Headquarters (DBU) in Indianapolis, DAVID RUBIN Land Collective was invited by Cummins to renovate the historic Global Headquarters landscape in Columbus, Indiana. As with the DBU, the headquarters interiors will be modified from an expanse of cubicles to an open format that allows for a variety of working environments in support of the creativity and needs of the breadth of employees, from single desks, clusters, standing and walking desks, and large conference areas. Employees will have the opportunity to choose the environment that allows for their most productive circumstance. As with the DBU, the revisited landscape of the headquarters, colloquially known as “The COB” will promote creativity through social engagement and programming. Land Collective proposed three new entrances in the building facades facing the park, all of which allow access to the landscape in ways not previously realized. The new doorways will offer direct access to a lush, sustainable landscape inclusive of places to work and converse, and spaces for use by the community, as well.
Located on a former rail yard, The COB – an ivy-covered concrete structure by Prizker Prize-winning architect Kevin Roche – embraces the Cerealine Building, home of Cummins’ first factory. In its former state, the maintenance-intense landscape was occupied by employees and the community in a limited capacity – more symbol than functional. The renovation of the landscape complements the goals of the interior and strives to create programmable spaces that also allow employees to chose the most productive environment in which to work. The landscape is activated with new pathways that promote walking to and through the site, a central seating space encircled by specimen trees called “The Launch Pad” where Cummins can announce additional inventions in diesel technology as well as host community events, and a high-tech harvest table offering employees the opportunity to plug in and collaborate outdoors. Enhanced paving beneath Roche’s colonnades creates an urban edge at the park while opening up possibilities for nighttime activity through enhanced lighting, as well as seasonal programming. A new doorway from the Cummins Gallery allows interior events to spill out into the monumental trellis and the park beyond.
The project is currently underway, and will be completed in the fall of 2021.
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