Bell Works / Alexander Gorlin Architects
Bell Works / Alexander Gorlin Architects
Text description provided by the architects. This architectural masterpiece was the former home of Bell Laboratories, the scientific research arm of Bell Telephone Company. Historic discoveries were made in Ball Labs including the technology for the cell phone, the laser, the Telstar satellite, and the discovery of radio astronomy.
Now, Bell Works is a prime example of the excitement of urban amenities in a suburban setting, a town center in a beautiful garden, complete with meadows, forest, two lakes and an island.
The architectural significance of Bell Works has been acknowledged by the National Register of Historic Places, which alone bestows a special aura. Saarinen’s work is characterized by dramatic forms and spaces as well as the inventive use of new materials. All of this is evident at Bell Works where the 1,100-foot-long prism of reflective glass, the first use of its kind in the world, is set in a natural landscape. One enters a spectacular space that is the first of four glass-roofed atriums, each the full height of the building. The experience of Bell Works is created by the open walkways and bridges that ring the internal spaces of each atrium and provide the circulation that allows for animated public interaction. Contrastingly, certain views out the glass façade face a bucolic countryside.
What were once private laboratories that were paneled to provide privacy have been opened up as retail storefronts and offices above. Faced with glass, they provide a direct façade to the common atrium spaces and are visible from all the walkways above. Each atrium has its own character: the central atrium has multiple events over the course of a year, and two side atriums are distinctive with fountains, a landscaped podium of trees and an artificial lawn for passive recreation.
The readaptation of Bell Works has become a unique space that meshes the old with the new and is more accessible than ever. Through preserving much of Saarinen’s original work and adding new details, materials, and technology, Bell Works is a true example of the best in mankind’s quest for understanding nature and its application to new technologies.
