Year: 2012

The multimillion dollar social network is housed in a pretty swish office space just outside San Francisco in Palo Alto. This relatively new HQ is massive; around 150,000 square feet! It’s in a building that had been vacant for several years and used to house Agilent Technologies. Many of the building’s original features either remain or have been repurposed for Facebook’s use. The work environment was designed by Studio O+A, a San Francisco based design company.

O+A took time to interview employees to see what they wanted from their work spaces and what would make their work experience better and more productive. Employees worked with designers throughout the design process to ensure the best possible outcome. Because of the different departmental needs, small clusters of teams within the building were created giving each department its own unique style and feel.

Facebook also provides free meals, snacks and drinks in mini-kitchen areas located throughout the building. To keep creativity flowing, employees are encouraged to write on walls, add artwork and move furniture around as they see fit!

The Jin Mao Tower is an 88-story landmark skyscraper in the Lujiazui area of the Pudong district of Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. It houses offices and the Shanghai Grand Hyatt hotel and a wonderful atrium that starts at the 56th floor and goes all the way up to the 87th floor. This vaulted 21-story atrium displays 28 spiral corridors and stairways that create a magnificent futuristic view.

Until 2007 the Jin Mao Tower was the fifth tallest in the world by roof height and the seventh tallest by pinnacle height. Along with the Oriental Pearl Tower, it’s a centrepiece of the Pudong skyline. Its height was surpassed in September 2007 by the Shanghai World Financial Centre which is next to the building and made up of 128 stories!

Jin Mao Tower, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Imperial Court is an impressive business centre situated in a contemporary glass-fronted building on Exchange Quay.

The property was launched 2 years ago at the hands of the Serviced Office Company, who carried out a £2.5m refurbishment. Since then, the team has worked extremely hard to put the centre on the map and occupancy has increased steadily over the past year. In response to growing demand, the team added one floor of additional space in February and plan to open yet another new floor in the New Year.

In the words of Centre Manager Tracy Vickers, “our clients are our business and we always do our best for them”. This has led to a string of endorsements from clients and many favourable comments from officebroker.com Account Managers, among them Gerard Richards, who says that he always receives excellent feedback from clients who have toured Imperial Court.

According to Gerard, the centre is in an excellent location in Salford Quays and Tracy is “great to work with” – saying that she is “proactive, personable and very committed”.

Find out more about December’s Business Centre of the Month award-winner here.

At The Serviced Office Company we love gadgets and are always on the look-out for ones that will brighten up your day in the office. Here’s something to keep you warm when the temperature outside plummets!

Mini Hottie Handwarmers

Keeping your hands warm in the cold isn’t always the easiest of tasks. Sure you could wear gloves, but how are you supposed to use your mobile phone or other gadgets with your fingers all muffled? These adorable Mini Hottie Hand Warmers are just the solution you’ve been looking for! Just like ordinary hand warmers, they will warm up at the click of the little metal disc, emitting heat for around half an hour. Then, when you need to recharge them you just remove the knitted cover and pop the hot pack into a pan of boiling water for about 15 minutes.

They are great for using at outdoor sporting events, for people with bad circulation, or just when you’re out for a brisk stroll on your lunch break!

USB Foot Warmer

In our experience offices can be drafty places and it’s no fun sitting at a desk with cold feet. Having cold feet is one of those things that can nag away at the edge of your consciousness, distracting you slightly without you realising. Thankfully our desks are now all equipped with these blue toe proof USB Foot Warmers!

Just what everyone in a drafty office or with a propensity for suffering from cold feet need!