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Bell Labs Holmdel Complex

The Bell Labs Holmdel Complex, in Holmdel Township, Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States, functioned for 44 years as a research and development facility, initially for the Bell System and later Bell Labs.[3] The centerpiece of the campus is an Eero Saarinen–designed structure that served as the home to over 6,000 engineers and researchers.[4] This modernist building, dubbed "The Biggest Mirror Ever" by Architectural Forum due to its mirror box exterior, was the site of a Nobel Prize discovery, the laser cooling work of Steven Chu.[1][10] Restructuring of the company's research efforts reduced the use of the Holmdel Complex, and in 2006 the building was put up for sale. The building has undergone renovations into a multi-purpose living and working space, dubbed Bell Works by its redevelopers.

The empty building's interior in 2010In 2006, Alcatel-Lucent contracted to sell the 2 million-square-foot facility to Preferred Real Estate Investments, during the process of restructuring the company's research efforts. [30] Inspired by Somerset Development proposed an adaptive reuse project that included offices, a health and wellness center, restaurants, shopping, a spa, and a 20,000-square-foot public library. The plan aimed to transform the site from office-lab to a space that would provide the Holmdel Township community–and other nearby residents–with access to the benefits traditionally associated with an urban environment (shops, dining, retail, library, offices, etc.)

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