You may be wondering, “How prevalent are creative offices anyway? Well, if the number of blogs dedicated to them is any indication, creative office space is only gaining more traction. And, no discussion would be complete without some visual examples. So, we’ve rounded up a few amazing ideas from California companies to get your imagination going.
Blankspaces’s Creative Office Space, Los Angeles
This small company of co-working spaces takes startups out of their local Starbucks and puts them into adaptable professional office space for the short-term, featuring coworking tables, bench arrangements, and modular offices that can be reconfigured for different occupants. The open flow of the office allows for mingling and networking among the companies taking up temporary residence.Belkin’s Creative Office Space, Playa Vista
The computer peripherals manufacturer combines both the traditional and the quirky to successful effect. Note that while employees are grouped into a more traditional-seeming institutional configuration of rows, it doesn’t have a drudge-like feel due to the green privacy panels, wall accents, and wall of windows. Meanwhile, sparsely-furnished conference rooms focus employee attention on the business at hand playing out on the white boards—and off of their mobile phones, since there are no tables to hide behind. When grouping salespeople or call center personnel together, determine if closer quarters interfere with concentration or help create a constructively competitive atmosphere where successful closes are celebrated and used to motivate others. It’s important, however, to strike a balance between individual workspaces that increase focus, and community space, which facilitates impromptu or planned teamwork.ZURB’s Creative Office Space, Campbell
This Silicon Valley design firm’s space recently won an architectural award for excellence, and can be configured for a number of corporate and community events. In addition to the transparent meeting rooms, it incorporates kitchen space in the heart of the working area, and perhaps an underestimated feature: furniture that walks that unique line of being suitable both for an office and for home.GET STARTED:
Inspired to take the next step toward the office layout of your and your employees’ dreams? Contact the Project Management expert team at Corovan to see how you could transform your space into an open plan of creativity and collaboration.
AKQA’s Creative Office Space, San Francisco office
While the central impromptu conference area is somewhat dramatic, you can definitely see how the open workspace plan and existing architectural features like concrete and pipes remain to give the California HQ of this global ad agency some texture and individuality.Pillsbury Law’s Creative Office Space, San Francisco
It’s understandable if you thought this was an Architectural Digest article on some hotshot Hollywood director’s home, with great water views. But no, this SOMA-based law firm specializes in some decidedly non-artsy areas like patents, trade law, real estate and energy financing.Pixar’s Creative Office Space, Emeryville
From the Atrium welcome committee from Monsters, Inc. to tiki cabin offices for animators, to a wood fired pizza over and cereal bar, the goals for the building include collaboration, artistic freedom, to get people to mix and mingle (there’s only one set of bathrooms), and maybe even to take pride in all their Oscars.Creative office spaces may be de rigueur these days for ad agencies and software companies. But in addition to looking great, they have business and strategic advantages for almost any type of business or organization, when thoughtfully deployed. Our special three-part series examines the trend and how your company might benefit. Go to Part I: The Rise of the Creative Office >>
(Photo credit left – Office Snapshots, Belkin | middle – AKQA | right – Office Snapshots, Pillsbury Law)