Kia Motors America has unveiled plans for a new 236,000 square-foot US campus on 21.7 acres of newly acquired land in Irvine, California.
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Since 1994, Kia has been based in another part of Irvine, a city just south of Los Angeles, which is also home to the HQs of Mazda and Ford’s Premier Automotive Group.
Bordered on one side by the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5), the custom-built, campus-style facility in the Jamboree Business Centre East area of Irvine is an investment of $US70 million by Kia.
Kia’s new home will house various business units, including sales, marketing, consumer affairs, technical service, product planning and administration.
The automaker will break ground on the development project this summer, and plans to complete construction by December 2006. It currently occupies a 153,000 square-foot leased space elsewhere in Irvine.
The modern structure employs dynamic glass and steel elements, including an all-glass “floating bridge” that connects two separate buildings, which are adjoined by a spacious 10,000 square-foot lobby with soaring 45-foot ceilings. Glass walls at the front and rear of the lobby rise vertically, evocative of traditional Korean gates, and create an open-air gathering place for employees and guests while providing picturesque views of the local Saddleback Mountains.
Additional design features include a 36,000 square-foot reflecting pool, an outdoor amphitheatre, an employee cafe and a fitness centre. Unique window treatments and lush, terraced landscaped areas complement the design and draw inspiration from subtle Asian influences representing Kia’s Korean heritage.
“This new centre was designed to allow our employees and visitors to enjoy and take advantage of the warm climate found in Southern California throughout the year,” said Christine Park, Kia’s director of human resources/administration.
