Epson Plans Four-Building Plant
Epson America Inc., a Torrance-based computer products firm, will construct a four-building, 195,000-square-foot corporate headquarters on a 10-acre site at Madrona Avenue and Civic Center Drive in Torrance.
Construction on the project--expected to cost an estimated $30 million--is scheduled to begin in the spring or summer of 1988, according to Eugene Kunde, executive vice president and general manager for the U.S. marketing and distribution arm for computer and consumer products manufactured by Seiko Epson Corp. of Japan.
The two two-story buildings and two three-story buildings designed by Gensler & Associates Architects, Century City, will be surrounded by landscaped areas.
Epson America is currently housed in six separate buildings on Hawthorne and Lomita boulevards, Telo and Kashiwa streets and Kashiwa Court in Torrance. The firm employs nearly 600 people in Torrance.
“These new facilities will allow Epson America to improve communication among its departments and increase efficiency of operations,” Kunde said. “Torrance has served Epson America particularly well over the past decade. The city combines a healthy business environment with pleasant residential surroundings and easy accessibility.”
The four buildings will be sited on a diagonal axis from the corner of Madrona Avenue and Civic Center Drive, allowing for a radial parking and circulation layout, as well as additional landscaping. The buildings will surround a 25,000-square-foot open-air courtyard.
Each building will feature horizontal sun-shade louvers on the windows, contributing to the sleek design of the buildings and enhancing energy efficiency, according to a spokesman for the architectural firm.
One three-story building with a large skylight roof will house executive offices, conference rooms, a reception room and public exhibit area. Plans call for the other three-story building to contain shared facilities, including a cafeteria.
The two-story buildings will feature 40-by-40-foot column bays for flexible space planning.
“The new complex is designed to provide maximum space and energy efficiency,” according to Gary Waugaman, corporate director, management services, for Epson America. “This means the headquarters will remain flexible enough to accommodate our needs as they grow and change over time.”
Based in Torrance since 1975, Epson America is perhaps best known for its line of computer printers, starting with the MX-80, introduced in 1979. The firm also manufactures the Epson Equity line of IBM-compatible personal computers.
