Goodyear Tire & Rubber – Akron, Ohio
The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company was founded in 1898 by Frank Seiberling in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for automobiles, commercial trucks, light trucks, SUVs, race cars, airplanes, farm equipment and heavy earth-mover machinery. Even though he had no connection with the company, it was named after Charles Goodyear the inventor of vulcanized rubber in 1839.
The companies new world HQ is located in Akron, Ohio. Designed by Vocon and Gensler, the new office space comprises approximately 640,000 square foot. The design of the workplace incorporates high ceilings, glass walls on interior-situated private offices and large expanses of exterior windows. The project is seeking LEED certification under the USGBC LEED-NC rating system.
The design incorporates unexpected and first-of-its-kind elements that bring the company’s brand and history to life. The lobby features two first-of-its-kind living vegatative walls to improve indoor air quality as well as a glass wall showcasing a sulfur graphic that spans the entire lobby. Sulfur is a primary ingredient in rubber vulcanization, which was discovered by Charles Goodyear in 1839. Reclaimed river wood walls, from the Ohio River dating back to approximately 1898 when the company was founded, are used throughout the space.
