Connecting Flight: Creating a Hub for the Alaskan Airlines Crew
Alaska Airlines’ newest “Hub” goes above and beyond to connect corporate workers with frontline employees running the airline at the airport and in the sky. Nicknamed “The Hub,” the six-story building would provide flexible and functional office space for over 600 employees. The 135,000 sq ft building needed to unite a broad range of business functions under one roof including a new recruiting center, uniform fit center and company store.
The Challenge
In order to support an ever-expanding workforce that has grown 76% in the last five years, Alaska Airlines enlisted NBBJ to design a modern and efficient facility that could serve as the airline’s nerve center of operations and create a unified campus environment.
Born in America’s hinterland, Alaska Airlines has called Sea-Tac home for seven decades and steadily grown from a small regional airline to the titan of West Coast aviation.
Project Vision
The goal of the environmental graphic system for The Hub was to create a welcoming place for Alaska employees to reside between flights, shop for uniforms, connect with other staff members, and work in a friendly, comfortable atmosphere.
Wayfinding and landmark graphics and signage are designed to be branded and clear, but also add a bit of levity to the staff’s everyday experience.
Benjamin Benschneider
The Aura of the Alaska Airlines brand identity is represented using fir planks to connect to the building architecture.
Sean Airhart
Bold Welcome sign greets flight crews and visitors to Alaska Airlines’ new front door.
Benjamin Benschneider
Flight routes with animations for each city is projected onto a dimensional map that creates visual interest even when the projection is turned off.
Sean Airhart
Floor graphics placed at key decision points are inspired by aeronautical charts that help staff and visitors navigate the space with ease.
Design & Execution
Ultimately, The Hub hopes to connect Alaska’s operations in the region while representing the airline’s pioneering spirit and company culture that is committed to rising above the rest.
Alaska Airlines has a unique past that, to many employees, is still undiscovered. The team set out to bring to life the unique history of Alaska through a digital interactive experience in the lobby, and the use of imagery, artifacts and anecdotes throughout the space, telling the story of how Alaska has grown into the prominent pioneering airline it is today.
Sean Airhart
Graphics in the two-story workflex space depict Alaska’s core values through symbolic placement on the columns that “hold up the organization.”
Sean Airhart
Fuselage airplane windows create a layer of privacy in conference and meeting rooms.
Sean Airhart
Ramp Marshall iconography, inspired by Alaska’s ground crew, is used to guide users to garage elevators and stairs.
Slideshow
Connecting Flight: Creating a Hub for the Alaskan Airlines Crew.
Benjamin Benschneider
A full-scale Boeing 737 graphic blueprint is stencil painted in The Hub Operations Center. The graphic spans six stories, emphasizing the scale and highly-technical nature of Alaska Airlines’ workhorse aircraft.
Benjamin Benschneider
The Aura of the Alaska Airlines brand identity is represented using fir planks to connect to the building architecture.
Sean Airhart
Bold Welcome sign greets flight crews and visitors to Alaska Airlines’ new front door.
Benjamin Benschneider
Flight routes with animations for each city is projected onto a dimensional map that creates visual interest even when the projection is turned off.
Sean Airhart
Floor graphics placed at key decision points are inspired by aeronautical charts that help staff and visitors navigate the space with ease.
Sean Airhart
Graphics in the two-story workflex space depict Alaska’s core values through symbolic placement on the columns that “hold up the organization.”
Sean Airhart
Fuselage airplane windows create a layer of privacy in conference and meeting rooms.
Sean Airhart
Ramp Marshall iconography, inspired by Alaska’s ground crew, is used to guide users to garage elevators and stairs.