Revisiting Microsoft’s Redmond Offices

Firm
  • Client Microsoft,
  • size 59,000 sqft
  • Year 2011
  • Location Redmond, Washington, United States,
  • Industry Hardware / Software Development,
  • I recently came by some additional images of a great office project for Microsoft by Studio O+A. I previously posted several photos of the space, dubbed “Microsoft’s Garage of Innovation”, but today have quite a few more images to share.

    The project seeks to create an office that functions like an office of the future. For Microsoft, that manifested itself as a gathering place for a community of makers, thinkers, doers, and innovators.

    According to the designers:

    “The office of the future, as envisioned by O+A and Microsoft, is an amalgam of classic industrial textures, vanguard technology, and a mix of heads-down and heads-up environments. Staff divisions are invisible—everyone sits together, creative juices flowing freely. Spaces are built to address a variety of workspace needs – small focus pods address the need for concentrative space, studios create open spaces for collaboration and meeting rooms come in both formal and informal typologies.

    Evoking its lushly wooded setting and a playful nod to Seattle’s grunge-era denim and plaid, Building 4 embraces a sense of community and connection with Microsoft’s long history in the Pacific Northwest. Literal garage doors open up all-hands areas and reference the beginning of many start-ups.

    To transform Building 4 into a campus-wide hub, we created a bike workshop/coffeehouse complete with espresso machines and bicycles to rent out for a ride on the trails surrounding the campus.”

    Design: Studio O+A
    Custom Furniture: MASHstudios
    Photography: Jasper Sanidad