Office of the month: Facebook Headquarters, Palo Alto, California
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!