Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects Designs Facility for Laboratory-Grown Diamonds

There’s a growing consumer demand for more ethically and sustainably sourced products. That includes gemstones. It’s one reason U.K.–based international mining giant DeBeers has invested nearly $100 million in a facility for manufacturing laboratory-grown diamonds under its Lightbox Jewelry brand. Located in Gresham, Oregon, the two-story, 60,000-square-foot site is by Sheehan Nagle Hartray Architects, under principal Neil Sheehan and interiors lead Caterina Hutchinson. The state-of-the-art lab will produce about 200,000 carats of “Grown in the USA” diamonds annually using vacuum chambers that replicate how the gems form in interstellar gas clouds. SNHA’s design balances the requirements of advanced production technology with details that make for an inviting workplace. In reception, a solid-surfacing desk and polished concrete flooring project an uncluttered, seamless look, while brand identity is expressed in a custom wall covering, digitally printed with the Lightbox logo, that wraps a drywall partition. Throughout, clean, smooth surfaces are infused with subtle inner warmth—just like a diamond.