The UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) Corporate Headquarters, located in Las Vegas, is designed to support the worldwide sports organization in growing its media operations, enhancing the health and skill of its fighters, and in further developing its strong corporate culture.
First Runner-Up – International Interior Design Awards 2020
Firm | kga
Designer | kga
Project Category | Office Building Interior Built
Project Team | James C. Lord, Lee Norsworthy, Chelsea Lavell, Michelle Lapa, Rayito Carrillo, Anjenette Pineda
Country | United States
Photographer/Copyright | ©kga
The design team immersed itself in the UFC’s purpose, brand, and operations in order to craft a design that reflects the identity of the UFC. The primary material of concrete echoes the toughness key to UFC’s brand values. Expressive design features, such as angular interlocking glazed and solid volumes which define the Performance Institute, reflect the organization’s spirit of boldness and outside-the-box thinking. The main visitor entrance is punctuated by a mirrored, cantilevered volume containing a featured conference room. The mirrored volume reflects upon the approaching visitor, first outdoors and then inside the double-height lobby.
The lobby space features static and multi-media design features steeped in UFC brand image, history and video of current events, while providing controlled access to general and executive office areas, the café and central courtyard, and to the conference room under which they entered. A separate entrance provides access to the Performance Institute, an area of the facility focused on athlete training and media relations. It features a two-level gym with nutrition bars, therapy pools, a hyperbaric chamber, and workout areas with an indoor-outdoor connection to the central courtyard. Controlled media access leads to an auditorium for press events, with a glazed rear wall providing a view of a full-size fighting octagon within the workout area, placing a strong focus on a core element of the sport’s identity.
The facility is designed to enhance the UFC’s corporate culture of unity and team spirit by encouraging movement, open collaboration, and social interaction. Collaborative workspaces are interspersed throughout the open office, each with a unique seating configuration, media capability, and recreational component. Additional collaborative work opportunities are placed outdoors in the courtyard, including exterior meeting rooms and an amphitheater which can act as a gathering space for the entire staff. The core of the building’s social life is the employee café, which features a variety of seating areas and an indoor-outdoor connection. Spaces throughout the facility take advantage of natural daylight, to enhance employee happiness and to further the spirit of openness.
By thoughtfully reflecting the UFC’s culture, operations and purpose, the UFC Corporate Headquarters and Performance Institute has become a physical embodiment of the organization.