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Midvale • One of Utah's unique office buildings, dubbed the "Peace Coliseum," is now open.

Overstock.com's visually striking, $100 million headquarters in Midvale gives people flying into town a clear view of its internal walkways, which form a large peace sign, while groundside visitors feel like they're approaching the Roman Coliseum.

With a handful of politicians on hand Friday, company founder Patrick Byrne cut a red ribbon at the entrance to the 231,000-square-foot — albeit circular — building on 19 acres at 799 W. Coliseum Way (7300 South).

This is anything but a conventional office building. Windows let natural light fill almost every work area, some of which are outfitted with leather couches, while others have height-adjustable work tables. Artistic acoustic objects hang overhead, with round shapes over the dining room and rectangular ones in some of what Byrne called "strategically placed collaborative areas outfitted with midcentury modern furnishings."

An internal courtyard, where four walkways intersect to form the center of the peace sign, features a fire pit surrounded by chairs where employees can sit with their laptops and work — or relax.

Leaving the building requires passing through electronic turnstiles with see-through arms the shape of a piece of pie, enhanced with fluorescent green dots on the upper crustline.

"Peace Coliseum manifests the duality of our enterprise," said Byrne, who earned a doctorate in philosophy from Stanford before founding the online retail company in 1999.

"The peace sign represents the caring attitude we extend to our colleagues, clients and community," he added. "The coliseum represents the toughness of our bold, capitalist spirit."

About 1,500 employees will work initially in the LEED Gold certified building, which is near a TRAX station with both light rail and bus service.

Exterior windows are made of View Dynamix Glass, which can get lighter or darker in response to changes in sunlight.

Inside, the facility has glass-walled conference rooms, a fitness center, a daycare facility, an employee health clinic and a gourmet café.

The goal, Byrne said, was "to provide our employees with the best possible facility for the collaborative and innovative culture that has fueled Overstock for 17 years."

Okland Construction built the facility, designed by EDA Architects, Inc. Gardner Co. was the developer.

mikeg@sltrib.com