L.L.Bean Offices – Freeport
SMRT Architects & Engineers redesigned L.L.Bean headquarters in Freeport, Maine, reflecting outdoor joy and sustainability values through a light-filled workspace with natural elements and brand-inspired details.
The new L.L.Bean headquarters is inspired by a shared joy of the outdoors. This adaptive reuse project transforms a 365,000-square-foot windowless warehouse into an expansive, light-filled workplace. For this global retailer, founded in 1912, social responsibility meant remaining in Freeport with the community that has supported it since its inception. Similarly, L.L.Bean’s commitment to the environment was a design influencer that inspired several built-environment and materiality choices. Other project goals included consolidating employees under one roof to promote collaboration, attracting and retaining talent, and connecting employees to the outdoors and the brand.
Celebrating connection to the natural world became a key design driver. The design ensures dynamic outdoor views from every interior vantage point. Carved out of the building’s center, a 10,000-square-foot courtyard garden features indigenous ferns and native Maine low-bush blueberries. Two treehouses project out of the building into the courtyard, an ideal space for relaxation and informal meetings, overlooking the snow-covered landscape.
The Bean brand inspired multiple design elements throughout the building, from the triple-stitch pattern found on the iconic Bean boot to the heritage plaid used in floor patterns and rugs. These physical cues are subtle reminders of the company’s legacy.
Cladding the building is a wood-slat screen system arranged in an undulating wave pattern that softens the building’s geometric façade. Generated in Dynamo, a parametric modeling tool, the pattern was derived from a series of local tidal charts beginning on the date of the store’s first sale. The slats provide sun screening and act as a bird-strike deterrent.
An employee council of L.L.Bean team members representing a diverse cross-section of departments and tenure was integral to design. These internal project champions not only contributed to design development but also played a vital role in continuous communication between the building’s users and designers throughout the project.
Design: SMRT Architects & Engineers
Design Team: Ellen Belknap, Andrew Bradley, Nicole Rogers, Lodrys Gomez, Lisa Laflamme, Mark Johnson
Contractor: Zachau Construction
Furniture Planning: Creative Office Resources
Photography: Trent Bell
