Flad Architects

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters

Flad Architects

ARCHITECTS
Flad Architects

CONSTRUCTION MANAGER
The Boldt Company

PROJECT MANAGER/PROJECT ARCHITECT
Matt Garrett

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER
CGC, Inc.

DESIGN PRINCIPAL
David Black

GEOTECHNICAL ENGINEER
The Boldt Company

MEP ENGINEER
Affiliate Engineers, Inc.

PHOTOGRAPHS
AJ Brown

AREA
63000 ft²

YEAR
2021

LOCATION
Madison, United States

CATEGORY
Office Buildings

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

Ascendium Education Group partnered with Flad Architects to establish Ascendium’s headquarters in a new three-story office building on the north side of Madison, Wisconsin.

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

Ascendium is a nonprofit organization that helps borrowers repay student loans and provides additional solutions to make education and training beyond high school a reality for more people.

Ascendium’s goal of elevating opportunity is reflected in the building’s dynamic design, which gives the impression that it is rising from the landscape, poised to take flight.

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

Organized around a northern view of the rural landscape, the narrow and transparent office wing extends east-west on the site to maximize opportunities for employees to experience daylight and views.

By positioning the building on the western side of the site, the natural grade change enhances the experience as the building emerges from the hillside to expose the three-story office wing.

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

The entry drive, located along Buttonwood Court, leads to the main building entry on the east side of level two.

As the building extends west, the natural grade change exposes a glass lower level, giving the building a buoyant appearance.

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

Visitors to the facility are directed to the southern wing which utilizes a terra cotta rainscreen system to create a more solid appearance.

Technology-driven capabilities and employee amenities support Ascendium’s mission and the well‑being of all staff.

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown

Features include glass-front private offices that freely admit daylight across adjoining open office space, conference rooms with reflective metal ceilings, informal collaboration areas, an indoor fitness room that also offers bikes for use on local trails, and a café with a moveable wall that allows it to double as a training and seminar space.

The transparent office wing and seminar form are shaped to embrace a courtyard that is protected on three sides, offering outdoor spaces for informal meetings and collaboration as well as pleasant views from inside the building. The building has achieved LEED Silver certification.

Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown


Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
© AJ Brown


Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
1st Floor Plan
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
2nd Floor Plan
Ascendium Education Group Office Headquarters
3rd Floor Plan

Flad Architects
T +1 415 3981600
Flad Architects
650 California St 17th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States