The era of work-from-home is winding down for many. New York City offices just hit 50% occupancy for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic. Dreading those stale cubicle walls? Here are some of the coolest offices on the planet in this week’s Five For Friday.
5: Bahnhof
Swedish internet service provider Bahnhof repurposed a nuclear bunker for its Stockholm-based headquarters.
It took two years of blasting to hollow out the facility, which is located 100 feet under Vita Bergen Park. It needed the extra space to house the company’s data centers. Its CEO said he was hoping to replicate the vibe of the 1970s science fiction film Silent Running.
Imagine having a meeting in this floating glass conference room that looks like it was built for a James Bond villain. Talk about high stakes.
4: T-Mobile
T-Mobile’s Bellevue, Washington, headquarters looks more like a trendy up-and-coming neighborhood than the home of the nation’s third-largest wireless carrier.
Outdoor space is paramount to keeping talent happy and T-Mobile has tons of it to be utilized (when it’s not raining). The office features a refurbished Airstream offering frozen yogurt, a coffee shop, and even a dry cleaner in case employees need to take care of that errand while on the job.
All of the amenities are clad in the company’s trademark “New Magenta.”
3: Inventionland
Pittsburgh-based incubator Inventionland knows its artists need inspiration and hopes its lab can do the trick. The artists work with inventors to develop and market products for a fee.
The Inventionland office includes 16 themed areas including a pet shack, a pirate ship and a castle. It also hosts tours for tens of thousands of aspiring creators every year. The product list on the website doesn’t scream million-dollar deals featured on Shark Tank, but this spout could help you have milk every day.
2: Lego
Lego is known for making some of the world’s most iconic toys, so its campus has to be blast. It officially opened its new headquarters in Billund, Denmark, last year.
It features wall-to-wall bricks and is designed so no one could be confused about what makes up its business. Lego’s People House allows builders to relax and recharge in its workshop and fitness studio. It even includes a homestay for visiting employees. The company also focused on sustainability: All of the outdoor furniture is made from recycled Lego bricks.
The new digs must be working: Lego increased its revenue by 17% in 2022 and the product is also a pretty good investment.
1: Bark
At Bark’s Columbus, Ohio-area offices, every day is bring your dog to work day. In fact, they say there are as many as 50 furry friends in the facility on any given day.
The pet toy market is expected to nearly double by 2032 so the BarkBox maker will need the space. The office has a work-and-play lounge with ramps for the pups to run on, an amenity bar with nooks where your pal can curl up with you while you work, and all the toys they can handle. Everything is made of durable dog-friendly materials for longevity and safety.
SIMONE DEL ROSARIO:
IT COULD BE LAST CALL AT THE WORK-FROM-HOME PARTY. NEW YORK OFFICES OFFICIALLY HIT 50% OCCUPANCY FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE THE PANDEMIC. DON’T WANT TO RETURN TO STALE CUBICLE WALLS? HERE ARE SOME OF THE COOLEST OFFICES ON THE PLANET IN THIS WEEK’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY.
SWEDISH INTERNET PROVIDER BAHNHOF REPURPOSED A NUCLEAR BUNKER FOR ITS STOCKHOLM-BASED HEADQUARTERS. LOCATED 100 FEET UNDER VITA BERG PARK, IT TOOK TWO YEARS TO HOLLOW OUT THE EXTRA SPACE FOR ITS DATA CENTERS. THE COMPANY’S CEO SAID HE WAS LOOKING FOR A “TECH MEETS GREENERY” VIBE FROM THE 70S SCI FI FILM SILENT RUNNING. BUT THE FLOATING GLASS CONFERENCE ROOM LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF A BOND LAIR.
T-MOBILE’S BELLEVUE WASHINGTON HQ LOOKS MORE LIKE A TRENDY NEW NEIGHBORHOOD THAN THE HOME OF THE NATION’S THIRD LARGEST WIRELESS CARRIER. THEY’VE GOT A TON OF OUTDOOR SPACE FOR WORKING WHEN IT’S NOT RAINING, SPOTS TO GRAB A BITE, A COFFEE SHOP AND EVEN A DRY CLEANER, ALL CLAD IN T-MOBILE’S TRADEMARK MAGENTA. OH, CAN’T FORGET THE FROYO-SLINGING REFURBISHED AIRSTREAM.
PITTSBURGH-BASED INCUBATOR INVENTIONLAND KNOWS ITS ARTISTS MIGHT NEED A JOLT OF INSPIRATION. THEY WORK WITH INVENTORS TO DEVELOP AND MARKET PRODUCTS IN A PLAYLAND WITH 16 THEMED AREAS INCLUDING A PET SHACK, PIRATE SHIP AND A CASTLE. THEY ALSO HOST TOURS FOR TENS OF THOUSANDS OF ASPIRING CREATORS EVERY YEAR. THESE DON’T SEEM LIKE SHARK TANK-LEVEL PRODUCTS, BUT THIS MILK SPOUT COULD BE HANDY.
IF YOU’RE GONNA MAKE SOME OF THE WORLD’S MOST ICONIC TOYS, YOUR CAMPUS BETTER BE A BLAST. LEGO OFFICIALLY OPENED ITS NEW HQ IN BILLUND, DENMARK, LAST YEAR. THE “PEOPLE HOUSE” ALLOWS BUILDERS TO RELAX AND RECHARGE FEATURING A WORKSHOP, FITNESS STUDIO AND EVEN A LEGO HOMESTAY FOR VISITING EMPLOYEES. THEY FOCUSED ON SUSTAINABILITY TOO, IN FACT, ALL OF THE OUTDOOR FURNITURE IS MADE FROM RECYCLED LEGO BRICKS. THE VIBE MUST BE WORKING, LEGO INCREASED REVENUE BY 17% IN LAST YEAR AND THEY’RE A HECK OF AN INVESTMENT.
AT BARK’S COLUMBUS-AREA PAWFICES, EVERY DAY IS BRING YOUR DOG TO WORK DAY. WITH THE PET TOY MARKET EXPECTED TO NEARLY DOUBLE BY 2032, THE BARKBOX MAKER WILL NEED THE SPACE. THE OFFICE HAS A WORK-AND-PLAY LOUNGE WITH RAMPS TO RUN ON, THE ‘AMENITY BARS’ HAVE CUTE LITTLE NOOKS WHERE YOU CAN CURL UP WITH YOUR PAL, AND YOU KNOW THEY’VE GOT ALL THE TOYS THEY CAN HANDLE. DON’T WORRY, EVERYTHING IS MADE OF DURABLE, DOG-FRIENDLY MATERIALS.
HONORABLE MENTION GOES TO A MISSOURI PROPERTY MANAGEMENT COMPANY, WHERE EMPLOYEES DON’T WORK FROM THEIR HOME OFFICE BUT THEY DO WORK FROM A TINY HOME OFFICE, SPECIALLY CURATED TO EACH WORKER’S TASTES. THAT’S FIVE FOR FRIDAY. I’M SIMONE DEL ROSARIO. IT’S JUST BUSINESS.
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