This Design Excellence project, won as a joint venture by The Kling Lindquist Partnership and RTKL in 1993, lasted for well over a decade. As the number of employees transferred into the facility grew to more than 6,000, so did the need for multiple food outlets, which today range in size from grab-n-goes to full-service cafeterias. The availability of five points of service keeps employees from traveling to local strip centers for lunch. The kitchen’s large catering area supports a full FDA event schedule.
After the Bank purchased a building near its landmark KPF-designed headquarters, the Studios architectural firm hired HOPKINS to insert a full-service cafeteria on a particularly short floor. The new building’s cafe had to be at least as good as the one at headquarters. Challenge met! With extraordinary engineering skill, HOPKINS shoehorned the full-service cafeteria into the space. The client was delighted.
Because poor diet and obesity are causal factors for various forms of cancer and many other diseases, when the National Cancer Institute, was given an opportunity to plan its first in-house cafeteria, they took the project very seriously. HOPKINS was brought in to perform an extensive planning effort. NCI wanted to provide an environment in which visitors and staff could make optimal food choices, model behaviors that reduce risk for cancer and other diseases, and increase wellness. The healthy choice was to be the easy choice.
A new staff café within walking distance of a plethora of foodie options for employees of Discovery Communications’ world headquarters gives them a home of their own. DCI's goal in commissioning this project was to create an aesthetically pleasing cafeteria that reflects positively on the Discovery brand while satisfying their employees’ need for a place to grab a quick breakfast or lunch. Mission accomplished.