The Summit at Danbury
| Matrix Corporate Center | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Former names | Union Carbide Corporate Center[1] |
| General information | |
| Type | Corporate Offices, Conference & Banquet Center |
| Location | Danbury, CT |
| Coordinates | 41°22′55″N 73°31′49″W / 41.38196°N 73.53020°W |
| Current tenants | Includes Department of Defense, General Motors, Attorney General, United Parcel Service, Chase Bank, Bank of America, US Bank, Scana Energy |
| Construction started | 1980 |
| Completed | 1982 |
| Owner | Matrix Realty Group, Inc. |
| Technical details | |
| Floor area | 2,100,000 square feet (200,000 m2)[2] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Kevin Roche[3] |
| Other designers | Emanuel Pisetzner[4] |
The Matrix Corporate Center, formerly known as the Corporate Center and before that as the Union Carbide Corporate Center, is an architecturally unique building in Danbury, Connecticut.[2] It was constructed in 1982 as the headquarters of the Union Carbide chemical company, it is known for its unusual style and floorplan layout.
History
In 1976, Union Carbide announced that it intended to relocate from New York City to a location in Connecticut.[5] After beginning construction in 1980,[6] Union Carbide moved its approximately 3,000 staff members to the facility in 1983.
Following several corporate realignments,[7] space was rented out to several different companies after a 1986 leaseback arrangement transferred ownership to a Florida concern. This resulted in the facility being renamed the Corporate Center in 1992.[2][8] Following the purchase of Union Carbide by The Dow Chemical Company in 2001, the Union Carbide staff was further reduced and more space sublet to other companies. In 2007 the building was sold to Grubb & Ellis for $80 million,[9] less than half its original construction cost of $190 million. In 2009, the building was resold to Matrix Reality Group for $72.4 million.[10] Matrix Realty Group, Inc., the new owner of the building, carried out several renovations,[11] such as new granite in the Main Reception area and in other parts of the building, and renamed it the Matrix Corporate Center.[12]
Architecture
The layout of the building is unique in that the entire building rests on 5,000 pillars driven into the ground at heights of 5 to 40 feet (1.5 to 12.2 m), to avoid having to clear the land of obstacles.[2] The structure as a whole consists of 15 interconnected buildings around a central core.[13]
Additionally, the outer walls of the building face into the forest while the interior walls face a completely enclosed 2,500-space parking garage.[2] The building was designed with several pods for the then divisions of Union Carbide that would occupy the facility. Further, it was set up so that each office was very close, sometimes only 10 feet (3 m), from its related parking spot and that employees would not need to exit the building to perform any functions.
In the center of the complex are several conference rooms, libraries, a cafeteria, and other support services. Each room in the 2.1 million-square-foot (195,000 m²) complex, 1.3 million (117,000 m²) of which is office space,[14] has separate temperature controls and natural light through a series of translucent windows. The building sits on a 646-acre (261 ha) campus which has been subdivided over the years and now also hosts jogging trails and condominiums.
References
- ^ Dzikowski, Don (1997-01-20). "Prestone Expands Headquarters". Fairfield County Business Journal. 36 (3). EBSCO: 1–5. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ a b c d e Charles, Eleanor (2001-06-10). "Commercial Property/Connecticut; For Old Union Carbide Headquarters, a Time of Flux". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ Wiseman, Carter (2000). Twentieth-century American architecture: the building and their makers. New York, NY: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 324. ISBN 0-393-32054-5.
- ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (1995-11-24). "Emanuel Pisetzner, 69, Engineer Relied On by Leading Architects". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ Sterne, Mickael (1976-03-20). "Union Carbide, 3,500 on Staff, to Quit City". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ Madden, Richard L. (1980-02-27). "Booming Danbury to Add Union Carbide to Tax Rolls; A Growing Danbury to Be Home of Union Carbide Sole Hat Company Prospers Danbury AT A GLANCE Geography Population Employment Fire and Police Income Housing Taxes Government Schools". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ Hiltzik, Michael A. (1986-04-08). "Union Carbide Plans to Sell Off $1 Billion More of Assets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ Dunlap, David L. (2008-03-02). "The Office as Architectural Touchstone". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
- ^ Chuvala, Bob (2007-07-02). "Shine and flip awaits Union Carbide HQ". Fairfield County Business Journal. 46 (27). Fairfield County Business. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
- ^ http://www.matrixcorpcenter.com/images/InsideBus.pdf
- ^ http://nerej.com/43722
- ^ http://m.newstimes.com/local/article/Reviving-a-corporate-jewel-387802.php#photo-116496
- ^ http://nerej.com/41711
- ^ Chuvala, Bob (2006-07-02). "Corporate Center owners study options, including selling the Danbury property". Union Carbide. Archived from the original on July 4, 2008. Retrieved 2008-08-03.
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