Epstein's Top 100 Projects: #69: Simmons Company Office & Manufacturing Facility

Coming in at no. 69 in our Top 100 Projects celebration is 1960’s Simmons Company Office and Manufacturing Facility in Munster, Indiana.

This Epstein-designed and engineered 800,000-square-foot, 3-building campus was responsible for developing, producing and distributing Simmons’ line of furniture and bedding products throughout the 60s and most of the 70s. The buildings on the campus included a metal working/production plant, the office headquarters, and the National Technological Center, a highly sophisticated laboratory that was committed to developing Simmons products that helped consumers "get better sleep."

When fully operational, this campus employed approximately 1,600 and was one of the model industrial production facilities in the world.

The building featured some rather interesting sustainable design features, including a 60’ x 152’ reflecting pool, which functions in lieu of a cooling tower for the 400 tons of air conditioning in all of the buildings. Additionally, the office building featured a modular system of aluminum, opaque colored glass and solar resistant clear glass along with a landscaped inner courtyard, providing ample daylighting without the need for excess electrical lighting.