The structure was built for the Longaberger Company, known for its handmade wooden baskets. Company founder Dave Longaberger wanted the headquarters to be an exact replica of the ‘Medium Market Basket’ model, one of the company’s best-selling products. Although engineers and architects were hesitant about the feasibility of this idea at first, the project was implemented.
IT DRAWS ATTENTION WITH ITS GIANT BASKET APPEARANCE
The building, which has a usable area of approximately 180 thousand square meters, looks like a huge basket from the outside, but it contains a modern office complex inside. The most striking part of the building is the two giant handles on its roof. Special heating systems were placed inside the handles, which weigh approximately 150 tons, to prevent ice formation during the winter months. This prevents ice from falling on the glass roof and damaging it.
One of the biggest challenges for engineers was designing the upper floors to be larger than the lower floors. The structure’s load-bearing system was specially developed to support this unusual geometry. Therefore, the building attracts attention not only with its interesting appearance but also with its engineering solutions.
ON THE AGENDA AGAIN AFTER YEARS
The building remained empty after the Longaberger Company, which once hosted thousands of employees, ceased its operations. However, the building known as ‘Big Basket’ has become one of Ohio’s symbols over the years. While various projects have been brought to the agenda in recent years to be used as a hotel, mixed-use area or commercial center, the building is still among the most recognized architectural symbols of the region.
Built at a cost of approximately 30 million dollars, the giant basket continues to attract attention today not only with its extraordinary architecture but also with its design that pushes the boundaries of engineering. Experts state that the building is one of the world’s most striking ‘novelty architecture’, that is, structures designed in object form.
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