Google, Pinterest, Innocent and Microsoft: Who has one of the 10 best office spaces to work worldwide in 2015
Do you think your office is top drawer or a bit of a dive? Knight Frank has compiled a list of what it claims to be the 10 best offices in the world – and three of them are in London. But are you in one of them?
10. Google
Where: Central St Giles London W2
Google has already been ranked the best place to work in London and now it's scooped a place as a top 10 office too. The office gets big ticks for its staff allotment space and its sustainable use of reclaimed materials, such as second-hand furniture and a jet fighter canopy. Google's Red List guide also means its fitout comprises products that are free of known toxins.
9. Microsoft
Where: Evert van de Beekstraat 354, 1118 CZ Schiphol, Amsterdam
Hot desking might sound like a nightmare to some of us, but Knight Frank believes Microsoft's free desk policy encourages staff to “locate themsselves in the building according to the task they are working on at any given time”. They are also encouraged to work from home when they can, which has resulted in the tech giant reducing its floor space by 50 per cent on its previous office.
8. DTAC
Where: 319 Chamchuri Square Building, Phayathai Road, Pathumwan, Bangkok
This telecoms provider has a similar ethos to Microsoft. It used its tagline “feel good whereever you are” for the fitout of its 300,000 sq ft office, which is spread across 20 floors. “The space was designed to stimulate ideas, communication, creativity and staff wellbeing,” says Knight Frank. “One of the prominent features is the ‘fun floor’ where work-related activities are strictly off-limits.”
7. Oro Negro
Where: Mexico City
Knight Frank praises Oro Negro for the headquarters' “ageless feel”, which conveys “a message of strength and solidity”. It uses Iranian Travertine marble for the walls, which was apparently chosen “to represent layers of sediment”, whatever that means.
6. Splunk
Where: 3 Sheldon Square, W2l, London
Another US tech firm living it up in London. The office space was designed to reflect Splunk's brand values of “innovation, disruption, openness and fun”. The open plan office has phone booths, a Tardis-style demo room, and a Pullman carriage which acts as a meeting room.
5. Reed Smith
Where: Ocean Financial Centre, Singapore
As you might expect from a law firm, the mood is very diferent, with Knight Frank noting this office is internationally renowned as being “elegant, refind and contemporary”. The environment is key, with a green wall at reception and green certified furniture and finishes. The result is “a calming and soothing aesthetic”.
4. Pinterest
Where: 808 Brannan Street, CA 94103, California
Pinterest just relocated from Palo Alto to Soma (South of Market) in San Francisco. Knight Frank says the 55,000 sq ft renovated warehouse has been left intentionally unfinished “so it can be adapted as the company changes over time”. It is designed to encourage “community and creativity while actively avoiding any suggestion of decadence and success”. So no bottles of champagne in the fridge then?
3. Fujitsu
Where: 118 Talavera Road, North Ryde, Sydney
Fujitsu's Australian headquarters represents the firm’s first ‘agile’ work environment. Knight Frank calls it “a cutting edge activity-based workplace”, in which yet again nobody has an allocated permanent workstation.
2. Pons & Huot
Where: 5 Place de la Bataille, Paris 10ème
As you might expect from a 19th century industrial hall, history features heavily, and there is a lot of oak, into which the work stations and walkways have been carved. Underneath the oak unit sits 646 cubic feet of soil which acts as the bed for the eight Ficus Panda Trees.
1. Innocent
Where: ‘Fruit Towers’, 342 Ladbroke Grove, London, W10
Innocent's workforce grew from three people to 250 in just two years, and this office was where they spilled out into back in 2010. According to the index, the 24,720 sq ft offices “reflect the brand's friendly nature”, having opened up the mezzanine level to improve communication between floors.
Here's how that looks mapped: