Our list of the coolest offices in 2019 are people-centric, wellness-focused, flexible and a whole lot of green thinking
Now that we've taken the first bite out of 2019, we think it's the perfect time to hypothesize on the future of the workplace, for this year and beyond. So, we've decided to observe how the best offices in the world are gearing up for what lies ahead.
We know that not all workspaces are created equal - some can reduce workers' determination while others can keep them content and motivate them to be more energetic and creative.
Companies like Google, which require smart, innovative and in-demand workers, offer a competitive edge when trying to attract young and intelligent employees. There are so many different ways office design can cater to its workers. Some workspaces feature athletic equipment helping reduce stress or get the blood flowing (which is always important if you sit behind a desk all day). Other "cool" offices feature lounges for relaxation to enjoy the corporate perks, and feel at home.
However, the coolest offices in the world are simply three things. Highly functional, they reflect a company's unique culture, and they're inspiring places to be.
Offices can be boring and oppressive, but definitely not these. We've compiled a short list of our favourites to show you what happens behind the scenes of some of the biggest companies on the internet, and some of the small nuggets of design from more obscure companies. We believe these are some of the coolest, freshest and most well-designed office spaces from across the globe and while they've got envy-inspiring perks (gelato bar, anyone?), these offices really stand out for how they blend comfort and flexibility. We love how these spaces use colour, light, and a heavy dose of design inspiration from the living room to put employees at ease and help them do their best work.
You'd be forgiven for wanting to get out of bed each day to go into work if you were an employee at any of these funky offices.
Selgas Cano Architecture Office - Madrid, Spain
If you're going to be taken seriously as an architecture firm, then your own headquarters need to make a statement about your flair for design. Selgas Cano must be one of the most relaxing offices to work in, because you're half underground, and half above ground, with views out into the woods.
The real beauty, though, is the eye-level view of the forest and all its wildlife. Many urban offices try to synthetically recreate the calming influence of nature, but Selgas Cano and its small band of architects have built the real thing. This office is less about awesome fun slides, great food and gaming areas, and more about a relaxed environment, away from harsh lighting and big empty rooms.
Google Office - Zurich, Switzerland
Google's re-imagining of the corporate office space has been revolutionary. Google thrives on innovation, creativity and flair and those very attributes are the reason behind the design of their offices, providing every employee with a space to be creative.
Opened in 2008, the company's Zurich office, home to over 2,000 'Zooglers', took real ski gondolas and converted them into hanging cubicles. Google, Zurich offers free massages, concert rooms, gyms, wine cellars and a whole lot more alongside the usual Google perks like foosball tables, sleep pods and exposed piping into their smoothie bar-ridden hipster-centric walls.
There's a rule at Google that nobody is allowed to be more than 100 meters away from food, so you'll find kitchens everywhere, as well as a mouth-watering cafeteria where every employee is fed three times a day, for free.
Their offices might be over the top and far too big, but at least you don't have to spend all your time walking everywhere as you can just take the slide or fireman's pole around the building. Alternatively, you may want somewhere quiet to relax and get away from work, there's always the library or aquarium.
If that's not enough at 5pm each day, employees are routinely summoned to the Hürlimann Bar (named after the former brewery on which the offices are built) to drink beer, eat snacks and catch up with colleagues. Regularly voted as one of the best employers in the world it's easy work if you can get a job there.
Inventionland Design Factory - Pittsburgh, USA
Unless you've visited a Peter Pan-inspired theme park recently, it's unlikely that you've ever come across anything quite like Inventionland before. Built in 2006, this is a creative hub for designers to collaborate on product prototypes.
The amazing interior is split into 16 different 'sets', there are castles, pirate ships, ballparks, animation studios and even 3 waterfalls built into 4 large walls. The hub has received numerous awards for its innovative design.
Lego - Denmark
Fancy working in an office where you are surrounded by Lego all day, well, that's what it's like working at Lego. The colourful open-plan layout encourages interaction and play between the staff, in an effort to fuel their imagination, which is what Lego is all about.
Varying in size, the meeting rooms are all light, colourful and designed to provide a happy and comfortable working environment to boost morale and product development.
Designed so that anyone can play with the Lego and come up with something new, while getting work done, and enjoying their time at the company is the main objective. If spending the whole day playing and working with Lego doesn't make you happy, then we don't know what will!
Facebook - Palo Alto, California
Facebook went about their office design a little differently by using its own software to conduct polls asking their employees what they would want from an office. The result was a superb work environment with big open spaces to work from, and amazing relaxation areas with a place to skate and DJ from.
It's not about simply plugging in your iPod to a dock, there's a whole booth to polish up your mixing skills, while entertaining colleagues. All of this combined with the modern, comfortable styling of the complex and means that Facebook is one of the best places to work and play, which is perfect really, considering their employees look after 500 million people a day, from roughly 750 million active accounts.
Dtac Headquarters - Bangkok, Thailand
Dtac, the third-largest GSM mobile phone provider in Thailand, brought all of its six buildings under one roof, making it the largest ever office lease in Thailand's history, occupying around 650,000 square feet.
Dtac's brand approach is "play and learn" and this is achieved with an inspiring office, spanning 22 floors. Some of the highlights include a massive circular library amphitheatre, and an entire floor dedicated to fun, with indoor soccer, table tennis, running track, and concert and performance spaces. To feed creativity, there's the conversation pit and a freeform meeting, picnic table and dining room, all created to encourage informal, face-to-face meetings. And to 'top' it off - there's an open terrace overlooking Bangkok's skyline.
Our final favourites include, Nike NYC Offices. Yes, there's a big "swoosh" - it's on the rooftop. But besides the signature swoosh, there are little nods to their sports origins, like the mosaic of Michael Jordan in their cafeteria.
Airbnb Headquarters, San Francisco. Airbnb has revolutionised how we travel, and made it possible to stay somewhere other than a hotel - and their workspace reflects this. The meeting rooms look more like camping tents than office cubicles.
While office vogues come and go, it doesn't mean they can't benefit your business. A big part of being a successful and forward thinking business is the ability to innovate and work smarter, and trends play a major role in that.
Our homes are beautified with comfortable furniture, decor, and the latest technology - shouldn't our work spaces be equally lavish? The coolest office spaces around the world understand that a well-designed workplace can impact people's happiness just as much as where they live.