Environmental Office Design – Paris
The Foundation Nicolas Hulot for Nature and Humankind is a state approved NGO which is focused on educating people and raising awareness about environmental issues. The HQ is based in the Parisian region of Boulogne-Billancourt. Since the Foundation was growing and needed larger premises they set out to design a new one from scratch. At the same time they wanted to incorporate the ecological values on which the foundation operates, and to ensure that there were more collaborative working spaces available. Thus Nicolas Favet Architectes were briefed, and with these requirements in mind they set out to design the new HQ using raw materials such as spruce plywood for space segregation, natural linoleum for the floor and recycled bricks in various other places. As you can see below, the outcome is quite imaginative.
ANZ Centre – Melbourne
The ANZ Centre is located in the Docklands of Melbourne, occupying over 130,000sqm and housing over 6,500 employees. With such a large space, and with so many competing requirements, it was important to segregate various areas, yet without losing unity throughout the building. Thus 44 individual hub spaces were scattered around the headquarters, providing social and co-working areas for employees to utilise. At the same time, connected to these so called hubs are dedicated desks for quite, more ‘traditional’, work. Around 55% of the work area is collaborative, with the remaining being dedicated private desk space.
The colours and materials used throughout the building are very unconventional for a corporate building, indicating that even the steely eyed corporate world is realising the importance of stylish work environments which increase employee creativity and efficiency. This is something which eOffice very much supports, and we have always stressed the value of cutting edge style in our own work spaces. The ANZ Centre was designed by Australian based HASSELL, who won various awards at the 2010 World Architecture Festival for the work they did here.
Diane von Furstenberg Studio Headquarters
In the mid-70s Diane von Furstenberg made her name with the iconic wrap dress. From there she set about building her business into what it is today, a luxury fashion house with international reach. The company’s new headquarters are located in the ultra trendy Meatpacking District in New York City. The HQ occupies a six storey building, which is topped off by a jagged edged glass sphere which makes up part of the penthouse suite. The design was headed by WORK Architecture who aimed to maximise natural light and interblend the historic surroundings with contemporary design. Thus according to them, “instead of hiding new elements behind the historic facades, the project is conceived of as a dialogue between contemporary materials and the renovated elements.”
[Pictures via WORK Architecture]
Vanguard Properties Corporate Headquarters – San Francisco
Vanguard Properties is a real-estate company based in San Francisco. They entrusted Charles de Lisle architects with the task of transforming the neoclassical Crocker Bank which is located in the heart of San Francisco. The bank was built in 1913, and so the architects sought to intermix old and new with spectacular effect. Perhaps the most impressive feature of this office is what was originally the main vault of the bank, now converted into a dining room with almost theatrical characteristics. The entry also features a towering 12ft steel desk, framed by custom fabric and bound to a 14ft freestanding wall.
[Pictures via Charles de Lisle Architects]
Facebook Head Office – Palo Alto
Facebook has a new head office located in Palo Alto California. The offices were designed by Studio 0+A, and as expect are highly unique! The designers were tasked with preserving the history and feel of the building, yet all within the dynamic environment one would expect from a young creative web company such as Facebook. As a result many of the walls were left unfinished , with employees being encouraged to write on them!
Facebook wanted to maintain the separate identity of each division in the company, it being felt that it would help the numerous employees who are coming from various locations settle in. Yet at the same time the seemingly separate elements form a cohesive harmony, all working together rather well.
[Pictures Via]
Vodafone Head Office – Portugal
Vodafone was launched on 1 January 1984, it started life as a tiny UK startup but after a series of mergers and acquisitions it has grown to one of the largest telecommunication giants in Europe. The company’s head office in Portugal definitely stands testament to the company’s solid presence in the market, exuding grandeur, confidence and style. The offices where built in Porto, Portugal’s second largest city.
The building was designed by Barbosa e Guimaraes Arquitectos, the well known Portuguese architects. They wished to reflect the company’s motto “Vodafone Life, Life in Motion”, and they felt that the best way to stay true to such beliefs was to create a building that appears to be out of balance and challenges the traditional motionless character of a building. The use of industrial materials is not limited to the outside, but also extends to the interior of the building.
Mintpass Office
Mintpass is all about creativity. Its a company that makes MP3 and video players, and other cool gadgets. Toffice is unbelievably good, their motto is: “We invite you to experience our continuosly evolving creativity!”
[ Photo Source: Flickr ]
Pannon House Törökbálint
Pannon is one of Hungary’s leading mobile operators. A wholly-owned subsidiary of Telenor Group of Norway, Pannon was established in 1994 and it soon developed a strong presence in Hungary. By the end of Q4 2008, Pannon had 3.731 million active subscriptions and a market share of 33.9%. Pannon’s new office building at Törökbálint, the largest environmental project ever completed by a Norwegian company in Hungary, was inaugurated by H.R.H, Crown Prince Haakon of Norway, and Her Royal Highness Crown Princess Mette-Marit of Norway in the presence of Jon Fredrik Baksaas, Chairman and CEO of the Telenor Group.
Facebook HQ – video
TechCrunch made available a great video of the new Facebook office/headquarters. Enjoy!
