Formerly a lab facility for Agilent Technologies, a manufacturer of high-tech measurement devices, the  building into which Facebook moved in 2009 became a lab of a different sort—for measuring the intangibles of social interaction.  Key to O+A’s design development was gathering input from the users.  “Some companies ask you to take a space and t...

Formerly a lab facility for Agilent Technologies, a manufacturer of high-tech measurement devices, the  building into which Facebook moved in 2009 became a lab of a different sort—for measuring the intangibles of social interaction.  Key to O+A’s design development was gathering input from the users.  “Some companies ask you to take a space and transform it for them,” O+A Principal Primo Orpilla said.  “Facebook wanted a hand in the process.”<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

In the development stage, O+A designers interviewed Facebook employees about what they wanted from their new HQ and attended weekly Advisory Board meetings.  Prominent among the themes that emerged: sustainability and green design.  The new headquarters made extensive use of existing architectural features, recycled millwork from the original lab and repurposed industrial components for post-industrial use.  The green theme extended from floor (carpets with high-recycle content) to ceiling (energy efficient lighting).

Another theme: neighborhoods.  Because Facebook’s employees converged on the new space from10 separate locations, the company wanted to maintain each division’s distinct identity.  O+A’s design used color and interior spacing to map out “neighborhoods” in the complex, while providing areas for the entire community to come together.  A state of the art kitchen and café continued Facebook’s much-loved tradition of providing gourmet meals to staff on a virtually round-the-clock basis.

And a final theme: fun.  This is, after all, Facebook.  One example is “the crane table,” a piece of conference furniture created by <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />San Francisco sculptor Oliver DiCicco from an old Agilent industrial crane.  A table surface suspended from a heavyweight hoist, it offered maximum maneuverability, but its primary appeal was best summed up by one of O+A’s designers:  “It looks cool and it swings.”