foster + partners unveils light-filled headquarters in florida for PGA TOUR

foster + partners completes a new global headquarters for the PGA TOUR in ponte vedra beach, florida. situated among the natural wetlands of TPC sawgrass, the project will bring the entire organization under one roof for the first time. the building offers an innovative vision for a workplace in a post-pandemic world, focusing on health and well-being. the design blurs the boundaries between the lush landscape and the interior spaces with shaded outdoor terraces and generous amenities that embrace new ways of working and collaborating.

images © chuck choi

in the design of foster and partners‘ newly completed PGA TOUR headquarters, nature plays a key role. the project integrates principles of biophilia — an inherent affinity for nature found in humans — that is proven to enhance staff wellbeing and improve the quality of the workplace. the design team focuses on creating a rich experience throughout the building while enhancing the connections with the surrounding landscape and flooding the building with natural light and fresh air.

the low, three-story PGA TOUR headquarters is nestled within the verdant landscape and surrounded by a newly created lake that defines a dramatic approach. the floorplates are bisected by an atrium that runs the length of the building — the social heart of the building for company-wide events. this atrium is lined with flexible formal and informal meeting spaces along with generous amenities for staff. the two building bays are connected by 20-foot-wide bridges that encourage chance meetings, and allow for informal gatherings along the edges, without impeding the flow of people. flexible workspaces are located on the wide terraces along the atrium and the far ends of the building on the upper floors to support an increasingly mobile workforce. looking onto the lush landscape surrounding the golf course, the western end of the building contains a new staff café and gym on the ground floor, creating a new social focus for staff.

nigel dancey, head of studio at foster and partners, comments: ‘on our very first visit to the site at sawgrass, we were inspired by the quality of the landscape, the interplay of light and shade and the water. this led to our very first sketches, maximizing light and views beneath a generous overhanging roof that creates shaded external terraces and plaza spaces. the building was then set amidst a ‘natural’ lake on axis with the famous 17th green.’