Young Living and OTL Prove That Oil and Water Do Mix

OTL constructs architectural fountain at global headquarters.

Committed to providing pure, powerful products for every family and lifestyle, Young Living is a world leader in essential oils. The company recently broke ground on a new 263,000 square-foot global headquarters in Lehi, Utah.

In line with its philosophy to live harmoniously with nature, the new Young Living headquarters features a flowing, organic design integrating elements of nature throughout its interior and exterior spaces.

To create a sense of community and connectivity, the company has incorporated an iconic rockface cliff complete with flowing waterfall into the main atrium, creating an intriguing and soothing environment for visitors stepping into the headquarters.

Outside the Lines (OTL) worked with landscape architect Arc Sitio Design, Inc. and project water feature designer Water Design, Inc. to bring Young Living’s vision to life.

Using intricate rockwork inspired by natural stone pinnacles, the OTL team is drawing upon its deep expertise in Geo-Believability® to lay the groundwork for this homage to nature and the essential oils of the world. The warm-gray artificial rockwork in the Young Living headquarters is a bit fanciful, yet grounded in reality and inspired by natural stone spires around the world.

The rockwork cliff is further enhanced by a waterfall, a refreshing sight in a desert environment. Due to the height of the near-vertical cliff, the water feature needed to be constructed in a way that was realistic while preventing water from splashing onto the adjacent floor. The solution is inspired by artesian springs seeping through fractured rock faces.  The waterfall begins with a small trickle at the top that gains additional flow closer to ground level through hidden sources incorporated into the rockwork.  Near the base of the stone feature, larger waterfalls give the impression of water having carved a cave into the base of the cliff through eons of erosion.

The structural design presented an initial challenge as the water feature needed to be incorporated into the existing structural design of the building, requiring expansion joints cutting through the rockwork at each floor level. While these joints could have created an unwanted visual break in the natural design, OTL was able to detail and install them to look like natural fissures in the rock.

Outside, guests of the Young Living headquarters will be greeted by an exterior pop jet fountain that fully embodies the energy and health of the Young Living brand, with a reflection pool in the shape of the company’s logo, and a series of choreographed jets of water and color that bring the firm’s corporate colors to life.

Using its state-of-the-art programming expertise, OTL set up the technical aspects of this entertainment fountain to feature a series of shows, including a static show, a passive show, a dynamic show, a 4th of July show, a Holiday show and a Breast Cancer Awareness show.

The Young Living Global Headquarters water features are expected to be completed in December of 2018. The property is located at 1538 West Sandalwood Drive in Lehi, Utah.

Images L to R: OTL original rockwork concept rendering, OTL ½”=1’-0” model, full-scale mock up panel, structural steel progress September 2018.