THE DESIGN BUREAU 100

Transcription

1 DESIGN BUREAU SPECIAL EDITION THE DESIGN BUREAU 100 A CARDINAL COLLECTION OF ARCHITECTURE AND INTERIOR DESIGN THAT INFLUENCES WHERE AND HOW WE EXIST

2 THE DESIGN BUREAU 100 / WORKPLACES Photo by Eric Laignel, ericlaignel.com 81 / 100 Where Every Office is a Corner Office BIRCHBOX S FRESH NEW YORK CITY HEADQUARTERS REDEFINES THE CONCEPT OF A DEMOCRATIC WORKPLACE By Brandon Goei 303 I t s not hard to imagine the dream office: tucked away in the corner with two walls of windows and two walls of privacy, including every cube-jockey s dream a door. But when online commerce platform Birchbox needed to expand its office space, it approached Design 3 with a novel idea. Their culture didn t subscribe to the conventional office, especially one defined by private offices, says principal Manny Enriquez. There are no private offices zero. Everyone, from the founders, CEO, management, and staff, sits on the same size bench democracy at its best. When Birchbox first met with Design 3, the company still was in the early days of its startup phase, only 22 months old and cramming 80 employees into an 11,000-square-foot space. The move to a new office would more than double the size of the workspace and accommodate up to 190 workers. This step up was the young brand s first move toward real estate that defines what it is as a company. design workplace technology sustainability san francisco It was important that our new office create an environment of creativity, open communication, and collaboration, says Katia Beauchamp, co-founder and co-ceo of Birchbox. Her desires ultimately took form in the flow of the workspace, which is informed by an open work area with unobstructed sight lines, more than a dozen meeting rooms, two large conference rooms, and an eccentric array of breakout areas, including lounges, phone booths, and a café. Texture and palette contrasts mirror the company s brand identity and define the interior of the space, with an arsenal of pop colors shaking up a muted, earthy spectrum and wooden accents. The reception area anchors a sense of arrival with a collection of birch tree trunks with wood-pendant lighting as a backdrop, while accent walls, dynamic TV displays, and the adjoining café area inject a cheerful energy into the space. With all the spectacle of the end result, it might come as a surprise that Design 3 was an even newer company than Birchbox at the time of their first meeting. We were only six months into our practice, Enriquez recalls. But the two, it seems, found a new stride through the same project. Birchbox, he adds, was a great start. az Featured Company DESIGN 3 Location NEW YORK, NEW YORK PROJECT TYPE OFFICE PROJECT NAME BIRCHBOX

3 THE DESIGN BUREAU 100 / WORKPLACEs Photo by Eric Laignel, ericlaignel.com The founders of Birchbox wanted an open office that would create an environment of creativity, open communication, and collaboration. An eccentric array of breakout areas, including lounges, phone booths, and the café, all culminate to make this possible

4 THE DESIGN BUREAU 100 / WORKPLACEs Photos by Eric Laignel, ericlaignel.com The office s reception area (pictured left) features wood-pendant LED light fixtures, a dynamic TV display that remains invisible behind glass, and birch tree trunks as a backdrop

5 [Our clients ] culture didn t subscribe to the conventional office, especially one defined by private offices. There are no private offices zero. Everyone, from the founders, CEO, management, and staff, sits on the same size bench democracy at its best. Manny Enriquez Principal at Design 3