When global technology company, LG Electronics wanted to consolidate its North American headquarters on a single site across the Hudson River from northern Manhattan it selected HOK to lead the design. The facility needed to support the Seoul-based company’s North American business activities while also protecting the iconic vistas and integrity of the adjacent Palisades Interstate Park, a National Historic Landmark.
HOK’s team in collaboration with LG’s leaders and local conservation groups created a design that nestles the 350,000 sq.ft. building into the landscape. HOK’s Design Principal on the project, Kenneth Drucker, FAIA , said, “The design integrates LG’s aspirations to build a world-class, sustainable headquarters in a park-like setting – below the tree line of the historic Palisades.”

In accordance with both the desire of LG and the research of HOK, the headquarters does more than just filling its substantial headquarters-office role. Featuring dedicated showrooms for home appliances and home entertainment products, this corporate headquarters is as much an LG product showcase as it is an administrative office. It serves the branding needs of the company to educate and inspire employees, customers and the surrounding communities alike. Among other community outreach features, it offers an education-focused “LG Innovation Lab” available to local schools, to give students real-world experience with bleeding-edge technologies.
“Following the model of our headquarters buildings in South Korea, the North American headquarters demonstrates LG’s commitment to employee health and wellness, corporate social responsibility and industry leadership in community engagement,” said Steven Yu, the project’s Director of Building Operations. “Through world-class architectural design led by HOK and eye-popping technological installations completed by AVI-SPL and LG staff, this unique office celebrates LG’s achievements and advances – from large-format commercial displays and desktop monitors to energy-efficient appliances and climate control systems.”

AVI-SPL, a globally-respected integration firm and longtime LG partner, was responsible for integrating many of the displays throughout the employee-facing areas of the headquarters.
LG Electronics was founded in 1958 as GoldStar. The company initially focused on producing radios, TVs, and home appliances for the domestic South Korean market. In 1995, GoldStar rebranded as LG Electronics, a name that stands for “Life’s Good.” Over the ensuing years, LG Electronics has diversified its product portfolio to cover a wide range of electronic devices, including smartphones, home entertainment systems, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, and more.

In addition to its better-known consumer products, LG has a strong presence in the B2B sector, offering a wide range of solutions for businesses, including commercial displays, solar panels, energy storage systems, solid surface material and carpet tiles; a plethora of which were incorporated into the HQ project.
The new LG (Life’s Good) identity reflects the company’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life through its products and services. And especially important to this project, the company has also become known for its commitment to sustainability. That commitment faced many challenges on the project.

Having previously been home to a bank processing center, the rocky, 27-acre site along the Hudson River’s Palisades Parkway was a sea of asphalt. Additionally, it is in close proximity to a residential neighborhood. A feng shui master was hired to suggest the orientation of the buildings to the southeast, stepping down toward the river to help blend the architecture with the landscape.
To soften the ecological and visual impact of the development, the design preserves existing woodlands and wetlands while restoring much of the land to its natural condition. Adding more than 1,500 trees (most of them mature) the project provides a large landscape buffer that shields the buildings from the residential neighborhood to the south.

Other sustainable strategies include sixty thousand square feet of LG solar panels, two acres of green roofs with native plantings running alongside the PV modules atop the office wings and the restoration of six wetlands and three native woodlands consistent with Audubon Society guidelines.
The solar installation generates 30% of the facility’s electricity, and together with the LG smart and energy efficient electronics used throughout, results in an energy use intensity (EUI) 58% lower than the AIA 2030 benchmark. As result of the concerted effort to find sustainable solutions across many parameters the building has achieved LEED Platinum-NC certification.

LG’s new campus has become a post-COVID-19 model for companies seeking flexible office space outside urban centers.
Each wing contains multiple meeting and conference rooms of varying sizes that offer BYOD (bring your own device) connectivity to digital displays and remote collaboration equipment. The largest spaces are outfitted with 98-inch 4K digital displays, while medium-sized rooms and huddle rooms offer 86- and 55-inch models, respectively.

In terms of employee amenities, each floor includes an open-plan “work café” space that houses 75-inch digital signage displays used for messaging. Large-screen displays also are integrated into the “LG Academy HVAC training center” and “Skyline Showroom” demonstration kitchen that are open to the neighboring community as part of the community educational outreach program.
“We have displays installed throughout the wings that provide an always-on messaging platform that allows us to communicate consistent brand messages and company information to employees as needed,” Yu explained. “By utilizing so many different LG products and displays, we’ve created a work environment that represents our ingenuity and achievements while deepening employee appreciation for the products themselves.”
While the debate about mobile work, hybrid work and return-to-office rumbles on, informed A&D leadership as demonstrated in this project by HOK, and positive corporate concern for employees’ wellbeing as shown by LG Electronics will find solutions that are effective for both companies and employees.







