Epic Headquarters

For more than 20 years, Cuningham has been creating a ‘factory for software’ at the headquarters of Epic in Verona, Wisconsin, pioneering a new idea of what a corporate campus should look like.

The campus’ unique and imaginative architecture is reflective of its mission to “work hard, have fun, make money,” and the culture that Epic’s founder and owner, Judy Faulkner, wants to create: environments that are comfortable, spark creativity, have variety, and result in productivity.

Epic values theming through design as a means of producing collaborative, creative and productive work spaces. Thus, each of the five campuses is distinctively unique and the design has dramatically evolved from the initial Prairie-style inspired architecture on the first campus to the Story Book-inspired fifth campus. In order to design themed buildings while maintaining strict standards for interior work space, Cuningham uses reverse engineering. On the “Farm Campus,” for instance, designers asked themselves what would be in a barn, then wrapped those details around the core components of the work space.

The landscape plays an equally valuable and important role as the architecturally complex and striking buildings. The value Epic places on sustainable practices is pervasive, as is its commitment to preserving the surrounding agrarian landscape. As a result, the vast majority of campus parking is underground, which is not only sustainable, but also helps the campus maintain its rural character and creates a green, park-like environment filled with flowering plants.

Epic’s campus is also home to Deep Space, a five story, state-of the art venue situated 74 feet beneath the landscape’s grassy, rolling hills. While mammoth in scale, the 11,400-seat venue is perfectly situated into a hillside and covered by an eight-acre green roof – roughly the size of seven football fields.

With future phases still in design, Epic and Cuningham continue their partnership of supporting productivity and creativity by creating a culture of collaboration and fun.