Foundations for Future

Last week, staffers at Rockwell International Corp. left their aerospace past and stepped into their high-tech future. About 150 employees shuttled their boxes and books to the company’s new headquarters--three floors of smoked glass and stainless steel at Plaza Tower in Costa Mesa.

From the cool, metal-and-wood tones of its interior decor to the slick black furniture in its executive meeting rooms, Rockwell’s new digs have been designed to reflect its corporate push into technology markets.

Nowhere is this futuristic theme more prevalent than in the lobby, where a pair of oversized monitors beckon visitors to play with an accompanying multimedia computer center.

Two silver stands house a pair of touch-screens, where users can point and click their way through the corporate Web site. Beyond the routine rah-rah videos--”Rockwell, a great company”--the multimedia system lets passersby browse through a company directory.

Not too exciting. But what is unusual, the staff said, is the program’s other listings: the location and possible tee times of local golf courses, hours and addresses for area museums, and a compilation of all the hospitals in the area. The hospital file also shows those that offer 24-hour emergency room service, as well as how many beds each holds.

“You never know who’s going to be in the lobby and what kind of information they’ll need,” Rockwell spokesman Terry Francisco said. “We’re heading for the future, but people still need to golf.”

P.J. Huffstutter covers high technology for The Times. She can be reached at (714) 966-7830 and at p.j.huffstutter@latimes.com