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TED GLOBAL HEADQUARTERS

Rebecca
Roberts

The “beautiful game” of soccer inspired the new global
headquarters of the not-for-profit organization TED
Global, located in Rio de Janeiro. Soccer, universally and
passionately enjoyed by fans spanning all ages, races, reli-
gions and levels of society, is played with a ball comprising
pentagons and hexagons stitched together. The penta-
gon—representing strength, unity and equality—unites
TED’s programs and invites the world to participate.

The stars over Rio on the night of Brazilian independence
are represented in Brazil’s flag, and those same constella-
tions can be seen in the building’s ceiling and in an organic
canopy structure and ceramic fritting that skirt the build-
ing, providing both a beautiful portal and shade.

The glass structure provides visibility into the interior
space. Visitors are greeted by a colorful suspended sculp-
ture of tiered scrap metal pentagons representing the fave-
las of Rio de Janeiro. An atrium provides spaces for people
to meet and share ideas while enjoying the natural light
and embossed columns that draw the eye upward to the
poetic detail overhead.

A special space celebrates the idea of integration through
soccer: a locker room and adjoining soccer pitch where
anyone can come be a part of the TED club.

Degrees: University of Maryland, MBA; Pennsylvania State
University, BA Economics. rebecca.n.roberts@gmail.com

Faculty: Tina Manis and Sean Arrasmith

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