Aiming for Gold-level LEED-certified interior, building features sustainable construction materials & other environmentally friendly benefits Headquarters showcases stunning snow globe collection and destination-themed rooms.
Oct 1, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas - HomeAway, Inc., celebrated the grand opening of its new "green" headquarters at Fifth and Lamar, unveiling a two-story replica of the HomeAway birdhouse logo that not only represents one of Austin's fastest-growing companies, but also one of the world's fastest-growing online travel segments.
Founded in Austin just five years ago with six employees, HomeAway®, the world's leading online vacation rental marketplace, has quickly grown to 540 employees in 10 global offices and transformed the industry in the process. The company features more than 425,000 vacation property listings across 120 countries.
HomeAway now employs 219 employees in Austin, 86 of which were hired this year. Internationally, the company employment rate has grown by 54 percent since last year.
To accommodate this fast growth, HomeAway is moving its headquarters into the new four-story, 86,000-square-foot, mixed-use building at 1011 W. Fifth St. developed by Schlosser Development. The first floor of the building features modern home decor store West Elm and other retailers. The HomeAway World Headquarters occupies the remaining three floors, which can accommodate 300 employees.
The HomeAway office is designed to achieve a Gold-level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified interior and incorporates vacation-themed design elements.
"Bringing HomeAway's headquarters downtown and making it a green building and a showcase for travel are a huge plus for our employees and the community," says CEO and founder Brian Sharples. "We are committed to building a highly-respected and well-recognized company that Austin can be proud of and creating a work setting that positively contributes to the environment."
"Green" Interior
The new building's interior, designed by CTA Architects Engineers, is intended to meet or exceed LEED standards in sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials and resource selection and indoor environmental quality.
Should the company earn Gold-level certification, the HomeAway headquarters will be the only building in Austin with a Gold-level LEED Certification for Commercial Interior Design.
Green features include:
Sustainable Site Development
-- Located by hike & bike trails; three gyms within a quarter-mile
radius; 32 bike storage lockers, showers and changing rooms to promote
environmentally-friendly transportation and employee wellness
Water Savings
-- High-performance, water-conserving fixtures in restrooms, which will
save an estimated 234,000 gallons of water per year
Energy Efficiency
-- Daylighting - through strategic space planning and the incorporation
of large expanses of glass in interior office areas, natural lighting
and outdoor views are maximized; control sensors automatically respond
to daylight to adjust interior lighting levels and reduce the
company's energy consumption
-- At least 50 percent of HomeAway energy generated by solar and wind
power
-- Solar-powered panels on the rooftop desk which heat the company's hot
water
Materials and Resource Selection
-- Throughout construction, HomeAway recycled, salvaged and/or diverted
from landfills more than 50 percent of debris generated from packing
and construction
-- Many architectural elements and much of the furniture were made from
reclaimed wood
-- Workstations were manufactured using 46 percent recycled materials and
are 97 percent recyclable
A Vacationing@Work Environment
From the two-story, landmark birdhouse perched above Fifth St. and Lamar Blvd. to the HomeAway snow globe collection, the headquarters centers around travel and highlighting the value vacation rentals provide - the space, privacy and amenities of a home for less the cost of a hotel.
Visitors to the building are greeted by custom-built, rotating cases that hold 148 snow globes, which represent a sample of the destinations where travelers can find HomeAway vacation rentals. These snow globes and other souvenir collections are part of an ongoing initiative designed for HomeAway staff, customers and travelers to leave a lasting mark on the new office.
The headquarters also showcases miniature birdhouses, decorated by HomeAway employees; art pieces created by Sharples and meeting spaces such as a rooftop deck and "Nantucket"-themed rec room to encourage employee interaction.
http://www.homeaway.com
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