EF properties update: see what’s new in Boston, London and Pasadena

EF Education First (EF) has been busy building and breaking ground. From a new facility in Boston and renovations in London to the groundbreaking for a boarding school in Pasadena, EF has been working to ensure these new spaces provide staff and students with enriching and inspiring experiences.

Boston, Massachusetts: A growing campus

Next to EF’s North American Headquarters now stands Hult House, a 12-story, 300,000-square-foot building. It hosts student housing for Hult International Business School, an independent, not-for-profit institution of higher learning. The business school is affiliated with EF through the latter’s founders and owners—Hult’s benefactors. In addition to student amenities, the building features light-filled open space for EF staff to collaborate, relax and exercise.

A giant, one-of-a-kind, floor-to-ceiling mural by artist Shantell Martin, who has designed a collection for Puma and collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, greets visitors in the building’s lobby and public seating area. The free-form line drawing not only highlights EF’s commitment to creativity, but also makes the perfect backdrop for an afternoon coffee break. EF’s design team converted a vintage 1965 airstream into a coffee truck, which sits in the Hult House lobby.

EFers are constantly running, biking, hiking and sailing (you name it), so getting up and moving is a big part of the culture. The new public state-of-the-art fitness center offers everything from group workouts and spin classes to a 30-foot rock-climbing wall. An outdoor fitness course and turf “flex field” make it easy to work out outside or jump into a pick-up soccer game.  

EF also worked with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation to put public tennis and basketball courts nearby. New pedestrian paths and bike garages for hundreds of bikes connect the building, EFers, Hult students and the community to outdoor seating and the nearby North Point Park.

London, England: A revamped regional hub

In Chelsea, London EFers have 32,000 square feet of sparkling new office space—and it’s not just desks and meeting rooms. New to the ground floor is Hagen Coffee Bar, for an afternoon pick-me-up, and Effie’s, a bar for social events or after-work beer and wine.

A new gym hosts a variety of exercise classes and has brand-new state-of-the-art Technogym equipment, Peloton bikes and a yoga studio. There are also showers and a new staff kitchen.

 

The renovated second floor features an auditorium for larger meetings and professional development events, plus a water bar and two outdoor terraces.

The office also houses an art collection from American artist Paul Rand, whose most famous work includes logos for ABC, UPS, IBM and EF (of course)! In true EF fashion, he crossed borders and learned from other cultures to incorporate international style into his American graphic designs.

Pasadena, California: A place for students, teachers and staff to expand their worldview

In September, EF staff went to California to break ground on EF’s first West Coast boarding school. The new EF Academy is scheduled to open in 2020 and will be the first major boarding school campus to open in the Los Angeles region in nearly 100 years.

The project involves modernizing existing facilities on a former college campus, building new student dormitories and constructing a sport and performing arts facility. Students and teachers will have access to a new STEM center, auditorium, regulation-sized soccer field, swimming pool and a gallery space for student art shows.

Teachers and staff will support 975 students from 75 countries through an academically rigorous multilingual education program. With a pathway to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma and opportunities to earn other elective credits, students at EF Academy will be prepared to make a real impact on our increasingly interconnected and globalized world.

These new facilities—in addition to the existing 612 schools and offices around the world—celebrate EF’s culture of community, learning, exploration and wellness. Come by and say hello!