San Fransisco designers Studio O+A have completed the headquarters for social networking website Facebook in Palo Alto, California.
Located in a former laboratory constructed in the 1960’s, the building houses over 700 employees.
The designers re-used many of the former lab benches and equipment for the new offices.
The design uses colour-coding to differentiate between teams within the open-plan space.
Some walls are left unfinished so that employees can add writing and artwork to them.
The Facebook website itself was used to consult employees about the new design and to keep them up to date about it’s development.
Here’s some more information from Studio O+A:
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Facebook Headquarters
Palo Alto, California
Employees of Facebook recently moved to a new headquarters that facilitates interaction and connection, reflecting the company’s mission as a social networking website provider.
Formerly a laboratory facility for high-tech manufacturer Agilent Technologies, the 150,000-square-foot structure at Palo Alto’s Stanford Research Park brings together more than 700 employees originally scattered throughout 10 locations in and around downtown Palo Alto.
The design of the space relied heavily on input from the users, appropriate for a flatly structured company that weights every employee’s opinion equally. O+A designers interviewed employees about what they wanted from their new headquarters.
The Facebook platform was used to conduct company-wide polls about design decisions, post construction photos and updates, and keep everyone informed of the thought process behind the project.
An advisory board of employees from every department collaborated with the design team on the design process, from space planning to finishes to final move coordination.
Because the new facility houses employees coming from various locations, the company wanted to maintain each division’s distinct identity. The design takes its inspiration from the patchwork nature of Facebook users and employees, bringing together seemingly disparate elements to form a cohesive pattern and using color and interior spacing to create neighborhoods within the open plan space.
The company’s executives sit in central areas, accessible to all employees. Large lounges and open spaces provide venues for the community to come together.
A kitchen and café continue Facebook’s tradition of providing gourmet meals to staff at all hours, while drinks and snacks are available at micro-kitchens throughout the headquarters.
Reflecting employees’ desire for a green headquarters, the facility is the first commercial project completed under Palo Alto’s 2008 Green Building Ordinance, making extensive use of existing architectural features, recycling millwork from the original lab, and repurposing industrial components for post-industrial use.
Other sustainable features include high recycled-content carpet and energy-efficient lighting.
The design goal for the new facility was to maintain the history and raw aesthetic of the building and create a fun dynamic appropriate for the company’s youthful staff.
Many walls and spaces are left unfinished: employees are encouraged to write on the walls, add artwork, and move furniture as needed, allowing the building to evolve continuously.
A bright orange industrial crane, left over from the building’s previous user, was repurposed by San Francisco sculptor Oliver DiCicco to support a table surface from its heavyweight hoist, offering maximum maneuverability. Referencing the industrial aesthetic of the building, a felt canopy spreads up one wall and onto the ceiling, defining a central meeting area that can double as an impromptu auditorium.
Mounted on threaded rods of varying length to achieve an undulating effect, the canopy absorbs sound and is penetrated at intervals by overhead lighting. An outdoor basketball court and indoor ping-pong table offer opportunities for recreation. And it is not unusual to see employees zipping along the concrete floors on two-wheeled skateboards.
Click for larger image
Designers: Studio O+A
Studio O+A is a San Francisco interior design firm serving companies nationwide. Founded by Primo Orpilla and Verda Alexander during the dot-com boom of the early 1990s, the studio began with a mission to bring sophisticated SOMA design to Silicon Valley start-ups and the venture firms who supported them.
Click for larger image
That start-up mentality is still a key feature of the Studio O+A aesthetic, but through the years, the firm’s mission has broadened to include a range of services for a client base that includes such major American corporations as eBay, Levi Strauss, and Williams Sonoma. Earlier this year, Studio O+A was recognized by the International Interior Design Association with an award for its remodel of the San Jose hairstylist W’s Salon.
October 13th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Cool!!
October 13th, 2009 at 5:36 pm
Why isn’t it all blue?
October 13th, 2009 at 5:37 pm
Sorry obut the negativity here, but…fancy pants. Most of the budget must have gone into the overpriced designer chairs and other alogical rotating furniture. Other than the Facebook aspect, nothing extraordinary about this project. I hope O+A got a good comision from the supplier for specing the furniture.
October 13th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
it’s a nice building. the interiors’ casual look is a bit contrived and stylistically scruffy, of an overall banality
October 13th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
it does look cool, plus nice to see a large organisation using designers to re-use & re appropriate to create the interior,
October 13th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
whow!cool!It seems like the atmosphere of Google headquater. I am wondering is that built in a factory or not? I really wanna see the out side bird view of this building.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
5 years from now when Facebook falls to become another MySpace…
October 13th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
a bit disjointed
October 13th, 2009 at 9:41 pm
stuning!
October 13th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
This really looks like a awesome place to work! The new google?!
October 13th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Nice pictures. Silly architecture.
October 13th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
So eighties.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:58 am
…more like nineties.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:03 am
looks like a fun place to work, clever use of colour and “funky” – as an architectural piece of work… meh.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:37 am
i HATE facebook, but i like the manipulation between bare exposure of pragmatical services and decoration of materiality….
October 14th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Is it compulsary for employees to ride fixies? or are they part of the fitout?
October 14th, 2009 at 3:14 am
This looks like an Ikea catalog, but with Design Within Reach furniture. So many missed opportunities to investigate new ways and spaces of working, playing and socializing. But like Donn says, most likely will become another myspace.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:16 am
I agree. Feels disjointed.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Why can anyone see design? and architecturally speaking say something about this fantastic space? forget about what do you think of FB it is about what do you think about the great space that the architects did here….
Think twice before posting
October 14th, 2009 at 5:56 am
It’s an awesome design… Love the way they kept the 1960′ style
October 14th, 2009 at 6:07 am
wow..that’s cool.. SUPER!
October 14th, 2009 at 7:42 am
…and in the end its only about one table + computer set next to another!but better tell the photographer not to focus on that!:-)
October 14th, 2009 at 7:45 am
i think its realy cool and down to eartth…simple ideas.
October 14th, 2009 at 8:12 am
nice job – too bad their site does not reflect any of that!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Dude,
THIS IS PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA NOT LONDON OR MILAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Lab type settings, peppered with designer furniture is the ‘Design Language’ of Techies there! (Remeber the Context lecture at Design school?)
Anyway, I think it is rather boring and so 1993- Web based/ youth enterprise/ funky/ jeans wearing/ beanbag hippy engineer! (Although I am not adverse to this!!) I think they could have pushed it a bit more!
October 14th, 2009 at 9:29 am
interesting. reminded me so much of all the dot-gones i visited when i was in venture capital. i believed times changed. thought there was a process of maturity. a new cool. guess not.
October 14th, 2009 at 10:25 am
gosh.. awesome.. wish i could join the team ^^
October 14th, 2009 at 11:22 am
All you guys commenting on the pictures should care to read the descsription… this is a retrofit of a lab building originally built in the 60’s. Not “Silly Architecture” or “so Eighties”.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
would not mind working here at all. I’m sure it will help in keeping the creative juices flowing at Facebook.
October 14th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
trendy trendy…
looks like google istn´t alone anymore
October 14th, 2009 at 12:56 pm
Cool place to work with a casual feel overall. Love the bicycles parked here and there, crane table, choice of materials and the art inclination.
October 14th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
A little “google-ish”, but I like it! It’s a space I would love to work in!
October 14th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
… and so ikea
October 14th, 2009 at 1:36 pm
A large playspace for big children
October 14th, 2009 at 1:40 pm
Good. But what annoys me is that it exactly looks like I thought an office from facebook will look like. so good, but boring. yeah we own a billion dollar website but we’re still so cool. feed the cliché.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Actually, it does look like a furniture showroom.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:23 pm
it seems a bit messy, doesnt it? Like they’ve just thrown in everything that can be cool, with no real common theme.
October 14th, 2009 at 2:28 pm
I liked the “spider”-lamp (lightbowls hanging from the roof). Who made them?
October 14th, 2009 at 3:06 pm
I’m in <3
October 14th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
a bit messy..
October 14th, 2009 at 4:51 pm
Very nice. On the other hand, I have this weird loathing of “creative” office spaces. Maybe it’s the this-much-and-no-further, where the office pretends to encourage the staff to be further out, whereas it’s almost more constricting than a plain vanilla office in the sense of imposing a corporate culture, turning its style limits into a glass … Read Moreceiling, then lying about it by calling it out-there creative. You ain’t the boss o’ me!
I think I’d find it consistently irritating, especially the panopticon aspect in the open office plans. That said, my take is probably weird, and I’ll probably just rebel against anything regardless. It’s probably more for the clients and investors and keeping up with the Palo Alto Joneses. How else could they live with themselves.
October 14th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
You are all jealous that your workplace is not as fun (turntables?? Beat that). I think this place creates an overall very cool atmosphere that fits with the company. This is no architectural masterpiece but is a decently developed scheme. I will qualify it more as interior design than architecture.
October 14th, 2009 at 9:09 pm
Disney Club!
October 14th, 2009 at 10:48 pm
MTV’S THE REAL WORLD PALO ALTO
October 14th, 2009 at 11:48 pm
Very nice photos – I also like the 2 single speed bikes for decoration, especially the blue “facebook” bike. Does anyone know what bike it is?
October 14th, 2009 at 11:54 pm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMWz3G_gPhU
October 15th, 2009 at 7:16 am
Thats the best part of working in web2.0 firms. Its all about cool offices
October 15th, 2009 at 10:26 am
YES. What a bunch of horrid little people making snide little comments. Feel better about your lovely beige cubes now? Thought not.
October 15th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
I think this ultimately would be a fun place to work in theory although I am not sure the reality would match the design concept.
I also agree with the eighties comments style/concept wise and also feel this matches the companies ethos too or atleast how I see it being on par with a lot of eigthies business agenda’s.
October 15th, 2009 at 2:19 pm
So funny comments! I really like that 60ties style design!
October 16th, 2009 at 3:58 am
lol at fixed-gear in waiting room.
October 18th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Geniale la facciata a spicchi, colori morbidi, assenza di soffitti, ambiente quasi domestico con angoli conversazione, tecnologia non aggressiva ma quasi al passo con la bicicletta, niente di superficiale
ma solamente pretico
October 18th, 2009 at 9:34 am
facebook is so cheap.. thought they would be making a lot of money out from their website.. yet.. built their HQ so cheap and not inspiring…
October 18th, 2009 at 3:14 pm
And still not made a dime in profit…
Amazing how companies like Facebook can spend millions on niceties such as this without having a proven business model. Yet companies who have a proven business model have a hard time getting funding. It’s reveals the failure that is our economy and the simpleton mindset of investors who didn’t learn from the DotBomb.
October 20th, 2009 at 9:14 am
Amazing, like the fact that the building’s older elements were just refurbished with modern touch of colour. So much aesthetic appeal, gotta love this! Brands who go this route, similarly to Saatchi & Saatchi’s lovemark environment has a goldmine…
October 28th, 2009 at 2:24 pm
It’s a shame that Facebook traded their more urban offices across Stanford to this suburban one story building.
October 28th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
who designed this building? it looks quite beautiful – any interior shots of the original state – minus the styling mess…?? And shouldn’t the original architects be credited?
October 29th, 2009 at 9:03 am
CDJs…! shame…
November 3rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
WOW
November 3rd, 2009 at 7:22 pm
Nice Space. Architecturally, yes, there is always more you can do. What’s interesting here is that this kind of funky – eclectic design / decoration, rich in colors, textures, patterns and contrasts, will keep stimulating your brain and your imagination. Again, YES, there could be more done, but, is your office a more interesting space than this all together?
November 17th, 2009 at 4:47 am
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