Asurion Gulch Hub

HASTINGS Architecture

Asurion is a leading provider of device insurance, warranty and support services for phones, consumer electronics, and home appliances. For their over 300 million global customers, when tech breaks, Asurion is there to save the day. The design challenge for Asurion’s Gulch Hub was to embody their core brand values – Actually Helpful, Remarkably Human, and Delightfully Simple – in the design of their global headquarters.

Embodying ‘Actually Helpful,’ the building makes a distinction between a headquarters that tells how helpful Asurion can be versus a building that is actually helpful in the benefits it provides to employees, visitors, and the surrounding community. The 567,000 SF building connects two Nashville neighborhoods vertically – the downtown core via elevated Church Street and 11th Avenue and the Gulch Central neighborhood at grade 42 feet below. The connection is established through a wide public sidewalk and monumental stair that includes a bike channel in the stair and a built-in bicycle tool tree at the base for public use. The site design includes a public pocket park that features local art and implements a new section of the Gulch Greenway with a new trailhead beneath Church Street, inset from the busy 11th Avenue streetscape. Customizable, color-changing building signage allows Asurion to interact with its surrounding community, celebrating events from Nashville sports to cultural holidays.

The building design focuses on user experience and is inspired by Asurion’s value of being “Remarkably Human.” At the outset of the project, Asurion was spread across four different campuses throughout the region. The design team’s initial analysis showed that larger floorplates and fewer levels were best at fostering interaction and collaboration among Asurion’s user groups. The design unifies the four disparate locations in two new, adjacent buildings with large floorplates atop a shared podium, interconnected with skybridges and open staircases. Over two acres of outdoor terraces and roof decks create opportunities for interaction and collaboration while providing opportunities to enjoy the outdoors.

Within the building, the design creates a world-class working environment for the over 2,500 employees who utilize the building, while also providing public amenities. Agile focus and collaboration space is complimented by a lobby barista, which is open to the public, a full-service food hall, and fitness center.

From the overall building form down to the clear and logical wayfinding system, the design of Asurion Gulch Hub is “Delightfully Simple.” Particular focus was paid to the unseen building and technology systems that make life easy for employees and visitors – allowing them to focus on connecting with each other and helping their customers.