I’ve been checking out that huge, new, odd looking building on Immokalee Road for  a year now, and finally had  a chance to peek inside at a recent open house. Some information from a hand-out and personal observation:

The “green” building is a loud statement that the Naples News Media Group plans on not only maintaining a presence in the community, but actually accelerating the mission of "improving people and communities through news, information and collaboration”, according to President and Publisher Chris Doyle.

Designed to allow the company to “reinvent itself as the industry continues to change”, the newsroom was a revelation to this veteran journalist. Colors and décor are neutral, and almost zen-like, off setting the usual charged atmosphere of  a typical newsroom.

Front and center is a large universal desk framed by flat screen TVs and computers, where news editors meet to hash out the daily budget of stories. The desk is raised a few inches, so it is easily viewed by staff and visitors on the second floor. David Hogan, designer of this project describes this central area in the newsroom as “cutting edge.”

The headquarters also includes a TV studio and fiber optic connectivity.

An  186,500 ft. building on 18 acres is somewhat overwhelming – its fundamental design is an orientation of the building according to  the sun's path to capture the benefits of northern exposure, including natural lighting and climate control. The most employee populated side, such as the newsroom, is on the northern side while the building’s industrial areas and equipment, including the new press, are on the southern side.

Sun, sand and water are the driving forces in the building design.

Out front there is a wing-like canopy  whose primary purpose is as a channel for water. Water features at the entry fit the beach theme, and rain water coming off the building ends up in two ponds out back. Brick is sand colored with  lighter and darker tones to mimic the pattern of drifting sands, and the main entrance is on the north side to shield it from the sun.

Then there is the printing press. All I can say is WOW!  A state-of-the art press, WIFAG 371 was developed in Bern, Switzerland and is five stories tall, or about 70 feet high. You’ve noticed  those blue or yellow stickers that show up at the top of the front page? There is a special gizmo that slaps these on the paper at the end of the printing cycle.

E.W. Scripps, the owner of the Daily News, and its sister publications, has invested about $95 million in the new headquarters. Many experts, including Joshua Benton ,director at the Nieman Jounalism Lab at Harvard University, say this is an “odd time to be investing in printing.” We’ll see how the story goes in Naples.