Rick Mattila should be able to expense his shoes.As Genzyme's(NASDAQ:GENZ) director of environmental affairs, he has worn his treads thin squiring eco-conscious governors, mayors, foreign dignitaries, and inquisitive journalists alike around the Genzyme Center in Cambridge,
　　Massachusetts.One of only 32 platinum LEED-certified buildings in the country(the highest environmental standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council), the biotech company's world headquarters has drawn in some 10,000 visitors with its supergreen design. But being ecologically correct is actually a fringe benefit, says Mattila. The company's real aim was to keep its 900 employees happy, healthy, and workin' wicked hard.
　　The tour begins at the bottom of the 12-story atrium, where visitors are blasted with the building's most striking feature:a deluge of natural light. The flood begins on the roof, where seven heliostats——basically large mirrors——track the sun and redirect it through a skylight and down onto prismatic louvers of multifaceted glass. The louvers diffuse the light and send it along polished-aluminum panels, through adjustable reflective vertical blinds, and cascading onto a glass chandelier that throws rainbows throughout the space; ultimately, the light is caught by a series of stainless steel——lined reflecting pools in the lobby. It's a far cry from Genzyme's previous headquarters a few blocks away, a series of long, narrow buildings originally occupied by a century-old woven-fire-hose maker. Still, although there's more actual space here——350,000 square feet——there's less personal space. Genzyme(which made$3.2 billion in sales last year, including $1 billion plus from a drug treatment for a genetic enzyme deficiency) opted to create more common areas, as a means of boosting the site's collaborative potential.
　　


　　"Most of the employees don't sit at their desks from 9 to 5," says Christof Jantzen, whose firm, Behnisch Architects, won a competition to design the building and studied the work patterns of Genzymites. "The whole building was created around the idea of a highly communicative work environment."With that in mind, informal meeting areas are scattered throughout:"business centers" on each floor, where the printers, copiers, faxes, and coffee machines are located; a few cushioned chairs placed together on an area rug; interior garden areas populated with trees(with names such as Rose Apple and Strawberry Guava, the gardens sound like Snapple flavors). "People of ten ask, How much did the building cost? How much are you saving on energy? How much are you saving on water?" Mattila says. (For the record, $140 million, 41%, and 32%.) "But if you can increase productivit y, that's where you're going to get your payback."A survey done 18 months after the building opened found that 72% of the employees felt "more alert and productive" since moving into the building.
　　It stands to reason that Genzyme's ecotastic office has become a full-scale model for other architects looking to go green. But it has also turned out to be something of a recruiting tool. On almost ever y tour Mattila gives, the same question arises:"'Do you have any jobs here?'"
　　
　　(C) 2007 MANSUETO VENTURES LLC, AS FIRST PUBLISHED IN FAST COMPANY MAGAZINE.
　　DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES.
　　
　　LANGUAGE TIPS
　　ecological 生态学
　　atrium 正厅 , 门廊
　　scatter分散
　　prismatic 三棱形的
　　heliostat 日光反射器
　　louver 百叶窗
　　
　　美国Genzyme生物技术公司环境事务部长RickMattila的鞋子恐怕又将不保了:富有生态经济意识的政府高官、市长、外国政要和好奇的记者们一众人等时常来到位于马萨诸塞州剑桥地区的Genzyme公司总部要求参观。
　　Mattila是陪同他们参观的不二人选,纷至沓来的观光者足以让他踏破铁鞋。
　　作为全国32座通过LEED白金认证(为美国绿色建筑委员会设定的最高环境标准)的建筑之一,这家生物科技公司的全球总部凭借它的超绿色设计吸引了大约10,000名参观者。
　　Mattila相信这个设计所带来的生态学上的美观合理其实只是收益的一小部分。这么做的真正目的,是让它的员工们在如此科学美妙的设计下可以保持愉快、身心健康,而且更重要的是:以更热情的状态投入工作。
　　参观路线始于十二层楼正厅的底层。一开始参观者们就被眼前的一幕最吸引人的景象所打动:大片的自然光扑面而来,仿佛一道大瀑布。
　　这道"瀑布"的源头是从屋顶倾泻而下,制造这一奇观的其实是安在屋顶的七个巨大的日光反射装置(取自镜子的基本原理)追踪了太阳的踪迹,重新改变了太阳光的方向后投注在由多棱玻璃构成的三棱百叶窗上。百叶窗将光线发散开来,透过表面光洁的铝制天窗,借助可调节的反光垂直百叶窗的功效,落在一个大型玻璃枝状吊灯上,使改变路线的太阳光线像彩虹一样发散出去,充溢着整个空间。最终,这些光线被大厅中映射水池的一系列不锈钢装置吸收。
　　相比较于Genzyme先前总部的设计,现在的装修设计不可同日而语。
　　以前的建筑是一系列古老而又空间狭小的正统设计,甚至还配备着一个足有一个世纪"高龄"的消防水龙头。不可否认,单纯从面积上来说那时候的大楼有更多的实际使用空间--350,000平方英尺,但个人空间却少得可怜。
　　Genzyme在去年创造了良好的业绩和不菲的财务表现之后,倾向于更加人性化的建筑设计。比如,用更多的公共区域来烘托和激发公司内部的合作气氛等。
　　ChristofJantzen带领的设计公司BehnischArchitects一举摘取了Genzyme设计方案大赛的冠军宝座并承揽了设计大任。
　　在研究了Genzyme生物科技公司的工作格局和性质以后,ChristofJantzen注意到:"绝大部分员工并不在他们的办公桌旁度过他们朝九晚五的工作时光。所以我们的设计理念是为这个公司创造一个极易沟通的工作环境。"
　　这样的设计理念,促生了公司里许多非正式的聚集处的形成,并散布在公司各处。比如每一层楼都设有所谓的商务中心,那里传真机、复印机、咖啡机等一应俱全;几把配有垫子的椅子在某一个角落里置放在一起,似乎虚位以待;内部小花园里边品种形态各异、气味芬芳的树木花草也提供了聊天漫步的好去处。
　　"人们经常会问我:建造这座大楼花费了多少钱?这个设计又能节能多少?节水多少?"Mattila已经习惯了这些问题,事实上它们的答案分别是:1.4亿美元、41%和32%。"但是人们往往忽视了一个最重要的方面。如果你注意到生产效率的迅猛增长,你就可以立即联想到那些花费将从何处收回。"
　　公司新大楼投入使用一年半以后,对员工的一份调查结果表明:72%的员工发现自己在工作表现中起了变化,他们在迁入新大楼工作以后"更加敏锐,工作起来更有成效"。
　　不言而喻,Genzyme的生态经济办公室已成为一个颇具规模的模式,当其他的建筑设计师想到如何与自然接近、如何环保美观时,他们就有了一个可以看齐的方向。
　　不过这个建筑似乎还是一个大型的招聘广告。
　　几乎在Mattila引领人们参观这座大楼的每一天,都有人兴致勃勃地提出同一个问题:"你这里还招人吗?"