AAA Walnut Creek Headquarters Relocation

Embarking On A New Office Adventure

To stay relevant in an ever-changing automobile market where technology and services are evolving quicker than ever before, AAA remained focused on “what’s next” when planning for their new 50,000 SF California, Utah, and Nevada headquarters. The headquarters, moving from Emeryville to transit-friendly Walnut Creek, are located directly across the street from BART, provides a micro-branch on the ground floor for “walk-ins”, as well as amazing views of Mt. Diablo and the surrounding countryside.

The request to the design team was simple: help bridge the gap between boomers and millennials, recruit new talent, and create an innovative workplace where everyone thrives. We used the fundamental idea of exploration to guide AAA through a meaningful change management and design process. As planning began, excitement and anticipation grew for this new space that would facilitate the business efficiencies they required and help them retain their most important asset – AAA employees.

AAA also embraced creativity around finding moments in the office to feature its brand, such as a custom designed wood element in the boardroom that imitates tire tread-marks, light fixtures manufactured from car head lights, and a custom-built table with center displayed hubcaps. For meeting rooms the design team commissioned landscape photography to be taken of areas in Northern California, Nevada, and Utah that were applied as glass treatments to accommodate privacy, but also allow external light to filter through. Booths in the café exhibit art of highway rest stops from the 1970’s, as well as a hallway of license plates. To create the sensation of peering through a car window, the window film in the office is activated by natural light throughout the space and by employees as they collaborate within the rooms or pass by.

The design helped develop and implement a new workplace strategy that is focused on attracting younger talent and creating an environment that more easily facilitates multiple types of collaboration.