BURLINGAME, Calif., Feb. 21, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- Virgin America, the new Bay Area-based start-up airline, has tapped San Francisco's Lundberg Design to create its corporate headquarters and operations center. The 42,000-square-foot space is expected to be complete in March 2006.
Virgin America and Lundberg are partners in designing the facility, which will comprise three floors of corporate offices, training and flight operations facilities. The new headquarters, at Bay Park Plaza II at 555 Airport Boulevard on the San Francisco Peninsula, will accommodate some 100 employees.
Lundberg Design is headed by architect T. Olle Lundberg, who has collaborated previously with the airline's CEO, Fred Reid. Mr. Lundberg is well-known locally for designing the interiors for the popular new restaurant Slanted Door in San Francisco's Embarcadero district.
Mr. Lundberg has designed Virgin America's building with the airline's brand and personality in mind. For example, he has situated the airline's in-house lounge and cafe, envisioned to become the company's social center, to capture the facility's best views. The informal gathering space will run parallel to the airport's flight path and offer spectacular views of Virgin America's future take-offs and landings.
"An open floor plan will reflect the airline's culture of communication and transparency," said Mr. Lundberg. "Virgin America is an innovative, low-cost airline so, instead of designing an extravagant build-out, we're taking an inventive look at how people work and interact."
Mr. Reid described Mr. Lundberg as "a talented and progressive designer who understands the cultural essence of his clients -- as Bay Area residents who have been to Slanted Door would attest. With his design for our new HQ, we'll offer our employees functionality, fun and comfort -- as well as style."
Within its first two years of operation, Virgin America plans to create more than 1,500 new jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area. Virgin America anticipates hiring more than 3,000 new team-members nationwide within its first five years of operation.
About Virgin America
A U.S. majority owned and controlled company, Virgin America intends to launch domestic U.S. scheduled airline service utilizing new Airbus A320 family aircraft beginning in 2006. The company has announced agreements to take firm deliveries of 33 A320 family aircraft including 18 purchased aircraft from Airbus and 15 leased aircraft from GE Capital Aviation Services. Virgin America's corporate headquarters is in the San Francisco Bay Area, and its principal base of operations is at the San Francisco International Airport. Virgin America's goal is to build an innovative, creative travel brand based on safe and efficient operations, low costs, outstanding guest service, and a unique level of engagement by its team. Its mission is to create an airline people love. Aspiring candidates can visit virginamerica.com to learn more about joining the Virgin America Team.
The logo for Virgin America is available at: http://www.primezone.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=2371
About Lundberg Design
As featured in the New York Times, Lundberg Design, founded by architect Olle Lundberg in 1987, works for private and commercial clients throughout the United States. Lundberg Design has its own dedicated 4,000-square-foot metal fabrication facility for custom design work and experimentation. All of the design work is centered on the qualities of materials -- how they can be plied, bent and cut to produce a visual and tactile result. This is a firm that loves the physical qualities of the objects they create.