Photo: Hufton + Crow

The LeBron James Innovation Center at Nike World Headquarters

Beaverton, Oregon

The LeBron James Innovation Center at Nike World Headquarters places the athlete at the center, celebrating and advancing the company’s foundation of innovation in service of athletes. The facility’s prominent, central site on campus establishes Nike’s ongoing research and development as the heart of its World Headquarters.

Design Principal ‑ Architecture
Tom Kundig
Design Principal ‑ Interiors
Kirsten Ring Murray

A Fast Building

The design of the new facility embodies the concept of speed, inspired by the explosive power and grace of sports and high-performance physicality that the brand represents.

Innovation

Design studios, offices and meeting spaces, rapid prototyping labs, an indoor sports research facility, and a 100-meter inclined outdoor track establish the facility as a high-functioning workshop where the latest innovations in sport technology can be quickly designed, built, tested, and refined.

Research

At the top of the building, the Nike Sport Research Lab showcases its ongoing dedication to innovation. Cantilevering 50 feet above the main entry, the NSRL’s mega truss structure and waffle slab base express the building’s engineering craft while nodding to the iconic waffle pattern of early Nike shoes. To support research, development and testing, the NSRL houses a track, regulation NBA basketball court, and partial soccer pitch and connects to the signature 100‑meter, 15.63% incline ramp on the facility’s exterior.

Cross‑Pollination

The 700,000 SF building unites—for the first time—over 700 staff from innovation teams previously spread across the Nike campus. An open, four-story central atrium removes physical barriers to collaboration and creates a bright, welcoming center for engagement and spontaneous encounters. Dedicated spaces for chance interaction and co-working punctuate the atrium, showcasing these activities to encourage a culture of participation.

Function

Co‑founder Bill Bowerman was so focused on performance that he objected to the weight Nike’s swoosh logo would add to track shoes. This focus on functionality continues in the LeBron James Innovation Center, where interior finishes are left raw and elemental—nothing is precious. Plywood desks also function as workbenches, giving every staff member their own dedicated, durable “maker space.” The visibility of these workspaces reinforces the hands‑on nature of research, development and testing and showcases these efforts to other teams.

Inspiration

The rawness of the building is tempered by warm, high-touch moments that communicate brand stories of determination, hard work, focus, and trial and error in pursuit of athletic goals. Environmental graphics throughout the building tell the story of Nike’s legacy of innovation, while public spaces highlight the athletic contributions of LeBron James. A regulation basketball hoop in the lobby pairs with a heat map of James’s career, where circles on the floor mark every shot taken by James—both hits and misses—on his journey to 30,000 points.

High Performance

This building is the second largest LEED‑NC v2009 Platinum building on the West coast. Building performance strategies include passive ventilation and daylighting via the central atrium; a super‑insulated envelope; efficient lighting and optimized HVAC systems; use of low carbon concrete; local, resilient and recycled materials; and building‑wide water conservation.

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