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Why would a corporate campus be seen as an evil bad idea?

by immad 16y ago

dirtae 16y ago
I don't think that the idea of a corporate campus is evil or bad, but I do think that the implementation of corporate campuses is often very bad. Most corporate campuses that I've visited rely on large squarish buildings, which means lots of interior office space with no windows. They also tend to be isolated from the surrounding area by huge parking lots, with limited walkability to nearby restaurants and shops. It should be possible to build a corporate campus that doesn't suffer from these problems, but I'm unable to think of an example.
- DougWebb 16y ago
  "Peopleware" describes a solution to this problem. The basic idea is to design office buildings like hotels, where every room has plenty of windows. The buildings have to be long and thin rather than blocky.
  - maigret 16y ago
    Yes... Or square with a courtyard in the middle.
  - pmjordan 16y ago
    The rounded triangular blocks of the Vienna International Centre (Vienna UN offices) are a curious architectual solution to this problem. Having been built in the 70s, they're not exactly pretty (and currently being cleared of asbestos), but they do provide a vast number of well-lit offices along with larger central areas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_International_Centre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_International_Centre
  - rg 16y ago
    Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit (1987-1992) built out a long and thin building at 2460 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, in this way, using central hallways; every person had a private office with a door and an outside window looking out at the hills around Stanford. Core areas were used for conference rooms and labs.
ams6110 16y ago
Probably just a way of summing up the changes that come with it. People more spread out, not everybody knows everybody anymore, you don't see the top execs walking around the office anymore.... not that Facebook isn't already partway there already. Silos and cliques develop, etc. The whole feeling of working changes from feeling like part of the team to just being a job.

Why would a corporate campus be seen as an evil bad idea?

by immad 16y ago

Why would a corporate campus be seen as an evil bad idea?

I don't think that the idea of a corporate campus is evil or bad, but I do think that the implementation of corporate campuses is often very bad. Most corporate campuses that I've visited rely on large squarish buildings, which means lots of interior office space with no windows. They also tend to be isolated from the surrounding area by huge parking lots, with limited walkability to nearby restaurants and shops. It should be possible to build a corporate campus that doesn't suffer from these problems, but I'm unable to think of an example.

DougWebb 16y ago
"Peopleware" describes a solution to this problem. The basic idea is to design office buildings like hotels, where every room has plenty of windows. The buildings have to be long and thin rather than blocky.
- maigret 16y ago
  Yes... Or square with a courtyard in the middle.
- pmjordan 16y ago
  The rounded triangular blocks of the Vienna International Centre (Vienna UN offices) are a curious architectual solution to this problem. Having been built in the 70s, they're not exactly pretty (and currently being cleared of asbestos), but they do provide a vast number of well-lit offices along with larger central areas. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_International_Centre http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna_International_Centre
- rg 16y ago
  Microsoft's Graphics Business Unit (1987-1992) built out a long and thin building at 2460 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, in this way, using central hallways; every person had a private office with a door and an outside window looking out at the hills around Stanford. Core areas were used for conference rooms and labs.

ams6110 16y ago

Probably just a way of summing up the changes that come with it. People more spread out, not everybody knows everybody anymore, you don't see the top execs walking around the office anymore.... not that Facebook isn't already partway there already. Silos and cliques develop, etc. The whole feeling of working changes from feeling like part of the team to just being a job.