Vast Unveils Futuristic HQ in Long Beach: A Glimpse into Next-Gen Space Station Design

Inside the Long Beach, California headquarters of Vast, a pioneering aerospace company, a towering baobab tree stands beneath a skylight in the center of a circular lobby. The space is painted white, furnished with a sleek aluminum reception desk, and features built-in wood banquettes that curve along the walls. This design choice is symbolic: the baobab tree nods to The Little Prince (1943), a novella about interplanetary travel, while the lobby’s diameter matches that of Vast’s Haven-1 module—a structure intended to house researchers, astronauts, and space travelers and eventually succeed the International Space Station.

“There are these timeless stories of, ‘Why is humanity reaching for the stars? Why are we going to space?’” says Hillary Coe, Vast’s chief design and marketing officer. “Those Easter eggs start to ground you in the ‘why’ while you’re simultaneously understanding the ‘what’—the important engineering and structural feats that we’re doing.”

The 21st-century space race is driven by space tourism, with companies like Vast developing the technology and infrastructure needed for human habitation beyond Earth. On Earth, these companies are also reimagining workspaces for an industry projected to reach $87 billion by 2035. Vast’s new 49,000-square-foot headquarters, a collaboration between its in-house team and the New York-based multidisciplinary design studio Civilian, embodies this vision through architecture that supports high-performance work and reinforces brand identity.

Form Empowers Function: A Minimalist Design Philosophy

The headquarters embraces a minimalist aesthetic, featuring polished concrete floors, custom-made white oak doors, and a palette of white and gray. This isn’t merely a stylistic choice—it’s a deliberate design decision to enhance capability and efficiency. “Form being able to empower function is really the core of what we’re dealing with,” Coe explains. “And when you see that clean aesthetic, it’s very much for the sake of capability and efficiency.”

Meeting High-Stakes Performance and Communicating Vision

The headquarters serves multiple critical functions: it meets the performance demands of Vast’s engineers, astronauts, creative teams, and R&D departments working under one roof. It also communicates Vast’s identity to clients, customers, and potential employees, while building trust for a product and service that are firsts of their kind. Notably, the office and space station designs share a similar aesthetic because both are optimized for human health and well-being.

“The look and tactility of finishes, the quality of light, and acoustics either hijack people’s nervous systems or calm them down,” says Ksenia Kagner, cofounder of Civilian with Nicko Elliot. To foster focus and reduce stress, the office incorporates biophilic design principles, leveraging natural materials, abundant daylight, and greenery—elements proven to lower stress and minimize distractions.