Edwards Lifesciences Office, Caesarea

The site chosen for the new Edwards Lifesciences Innovation Center in Israel is the Granit Campus in the beautiful city of Caesarea. The building itself is one of three, built around a park with a pond, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea.

Roy David Architecture was commissioned to plan and design the interior of the new space, merging two company sites in the process, two and half floors connected by an iconic staircase. Their goal at the outset was to create an innovative, inspiring, and productive workspace while reflecting the story and essence of the company.

Edwards Lifesciences is an American medical technology company specializing in artificial heart valves and hemodynamic monitoring. The design concept for the space was based on two prominent products developed in Israel, one strives to close while the other aims to open.

In order to highlight and infuse the story of Edwards into the work environments, the general morphology of the pace itself and the elements in it are derived from the juxtaposition of organic shapes depicting the human heart and body, together with rigid orthogonal shapes associated with engineering. These themes are expressed in the space through materiality, custom made elements, shapes, and patterns. It can be seen primarily in the unique ceiling throughout the offices that have organic shaped openings allowing a glance at the mechanical systems. Another example is framework installation in the cafeteria which retraces the silhouette of the four heart chambers. The three-dimensional piece creates a different experience in the space and fortifies the identity and goals of Edwards within the architecture, while simultaneously inspiring employees and visitors alike. In comparison, the installation situated in the main entrance between two columns is inspired by the geometry and form of the company product rather than the human body.

One of the main challenges in this project was creating a costume designed open space workstation. The workstation had to comply with the size of the products the engineers work with including supplementary storage, all the while providing privacy without closing off the space altogether. The final product is a result of rigorous work of the Edwards and RDA teams, culminating a sit-stand desk with precisely planned storage, including industrial customized partitions that allow privacy, a writable surface, and acoustic materials.

Accenting the entire project are work of art, 3d installations, text, interactive elements, and video art. This aspect of the space is based on the company’s brand, aiming to represent it in the daily life of the employees, inspire and bring them closer to company’s goals and ideals.