Expedia Releases Design Vision for New Headquarters

Phase I construction planned to commence by the end of 2016; Employee move-in slated for 2019

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Mar 09, 2016, 08:00 ET

Expedia, Inc. Site Phase Plan - Image courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - Expedia, Inc.'s Phase I plans include new construction, the adaptive reuse of the existing buildings, and the development of outdoor green spaces. Areas for potential future development (Phase II or III) could occur on the northwest and southeast portions of the site and are noted in black outline.

Expedia, Inc. Courtyard & New Building - Image courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - The Expedia, Inc. courtyard accommodates a range of activities including visitor arrival and drop-off, all-hands meetings, outdoor meetings and recreation. It will be encircled by a new approximately 600,000 sq. ft. four-story office building that contains an entrance lobby, conference center, workspace and other campus amenities.

Expedia, Inc. Campus Lawn Looking Back Towards Campus Buildings - Image courtesy of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson - The Expedia, Inc. campus lawn to the west of the courtyard is a natural landscape designed to maximize views and allow for a diverse array of outdoor events, exercise and activities overlooking Elliott Bay.

BELLEVUE, Wash., March 9, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) today announced the initial design vision for its future campus in the City of Seattle. In April 2015, Expedia® announced its plans to relocate from Bellevue, Wash. to Seattle in 2019.

Designed by the Seattle office of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson (BCJ) in conjunction with STUDIOS Architecture and PWP Landscape Architecture, the architecture of the new Seattle campus is primarily transparent, connecting employees with views of Elliott Bay, Mt. Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.

"Working to conceptualize and ultimately bring to life Expedia's permanent home in Seattle has been an exciting journey since we announced our plans to move last April," said Dara Khosrowshahi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Expedia, Inc. "Although these are early designs, we are very excited about the direction our campus is heading and feel that it brings together all that we are – a leading technology company revolutionizing the world of travel with deep roots in the Pacific Northwest. This will be an environment that will help us retain and build a world-class team of diverse, talented and passionate employees as we continue to grow."

"What we heard from Expedia was the importance of making a place that represents their values and showcases who they are as a travel and technology company," said Peter Bohlin, Founding Principal of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson. "Our design focuses on shaping an environment for people that promotes collaboration and innovation and provides the company with a design that celebrates the beauty of the Pacific Northwest. This is evident in every aspect of the campus, from its landscape to the transparent architecture, strengthening the connection to the water and mountains beyond."

Early designs for the campus show that the company will repurpose four existing laboratory buildings into new open workspaces, as well as build a new approximately 600,000 sq. ft. four-story office building that will contain an entrance lobby, conference center, workspace and other campus amenities. Additionally, there will be a large focus on enhancing the outdoor space that includes an exterior courtyard, a large campus lawn, and a series of outdoor work areas and recreation spaces.

Expedia Analyzing Campus Options that Will Direct Growth for Next 15 Years

A key aspect of this project is flexibility for Expedia to continue to expand in one place as it grows over the long-term. In this regard Expedia is currently analyzing three possible 15-year capacity alternatives. Phase I will include approximately 1.2M sq. ft. of office space and 2,670 total parking stalls (1,440 new). Construction on Phase I is planned to begin in late 2016. Future possible phases include the option to build an additional approximately 415,000 sq. ft. and 630 parking stalls in Phase II and a potential Phase III with approximately 315,000 sq. ft. of new office space. If Phase II or III are utilized, they would happen sometime in the 15-year timeframe planned to be granted by the City of Seattle's Major Phased Development process. The goal is to preserve nearly 40 percent of the more than 40-acre campus as open space.

As part of its bold commitment to encourage transit and multi-modal commuting by employees, contractors and campus guests, Expedia has committed to reducing its peak single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips, to-and-from the campus, to 49 percent by the time it opens Phase I in 2019. To achieve this, Expedia is evaluating a host of further transit and transportation initiatives, some of which began this year in Bellevue. Expedia already provides: subsidized carpool and vanpool parking, free ORCA passes to all employees, Commute Champions Awards, an onsite commute coordinator to help employees with commuting options, and will be launching a pilot shuttle program.

To learn more about Expedia's move to Seattle and view additional images of the campus, visit www.meetexpedia.com.

About Expedia, Inc.

Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE) is one of the world's leading travel companies, with an extensive brand portfolio that includes leading online travel brands, such as:

Expedia.com®, a leading full service online travel company with localized sites in 33 countries
Hotels.com®, the lodging specialist that offers Hotels.com® Rewards and Secret Prices through its mobile booking apps and localized websites in more than 65 countries
Hotwire®, a leading discount travel site that offers Hot Rate® Hotels, Hot Rate® Cars and Hot Rate® Airfares, as well as vacation packages
HomeAway®, a global online marketplace for the vacation rental industry, which also includes the VRBO, VacationRentals.com and BedandBreakfast.com brands, among others
Travelocity®, a pioneer in online travel and a leading online travel brand in the US and Canada
Orbitz Worldwide, a global travel portfolio including Orbitz, ebookers and CheapTickets brands, and business-to-business offerings including Orbitz Partner Network and Orbitz for Business
Egencia®, a leading corporate travel management company
Venere.com™, an online hotel reservation specialist in Europe
trivago®, a leading online hotel search with sites in 55 countries worldwide
Wotif Group, a leading portfolio of travel brands including Wotif.com®, Wotif.co.nz, lastminute.com.au®, lastminute.co.nz and travel.com.au®
Expedia Local Expert®, a provider of online and in-market concierge services, activities, experiences and ground transportation in hundreds of destinations worldwide
Classic Vacations®, a top luxury travel specialist
Expedia® CruiseShipCenters®, a provider of exceptional value and expert advice for travelers booking cruises and vacations through its network of over 200 retail travel agency franchises across North America
CarRentals.com^™, a premier online car rental booking company with localized sites in 13 countries
Expedia Affiliate Network (EAN), a global B2B business that powers the hotel business of leading airlines, top consumer brands, online travel agencies and thousands of other partners through its API and template solutions
Expedia® Media Solutions, the advertising sales division of Expedia, Inc. that builds media partnerships and enables brand advertisers to target a highly-qualified audience of travel consumers