06 Apr
GitHub on Office Snapshots
FENNIE+MEHL Architects and Studio Hatch have collaborated on the design of Github’s office space in San Francisco.
Wildly quirky, wildly successful GitHub, builder of web-based collaboration tools for software developers, got its start with early employees writing code in dive bars, coffee shops and home offices. Given that this unconventional but agreeable culture helped build a $900 million company in just six years, F+M and Studio Hatch suggested recreating it within the company’s new 55,000-square-foot building. Every morning GitHubbers choose where they want to work: in one of two bars, several cafes, a library, a park, a speakeasy, a museum, a coder cave, or from home. Github Scott Chacon, CIO says “F+M is totally about collaboration, they listened, gathered the creatives and made our wish list for our home base come alive in the most unexpected ways. We are thrilled with our space and the connection we have created with this great city of San Francisco.”
At the core of GitHub technology is social collaboration, which we find not only physically evident in their new office space itself but also manifested throughout the design process, a seamless collaboration between client, architect, designer, builder and local manufacturers. The primary objective of the design was to provide a variety of environments to accommodate different personal work styles and flexibility for the space to evolve and transition over time. As a company founded in local cafes and bars around the city, it was important to infuse these types of environments throughout the space as a nod to the company’s roots but also to serve as alternative work settings. In addition to a café on each level, the 55,000 rentable sq.ft., three story LEED gold certified work space located in the heart of SOMA boasts a full bar, commercial kitchen, large and small (themed) conference rooms, phone rooms, a dojo, meditation room, indoor park, hidden speakeasy, library, museum, “coder caves,” kid’s play ground, and a roof deck lounge.
GitHubbers have total individual freedom and self-assignment in their work space. Some employees never sit at a typical workstation and float between the different work settings with their laptops while others prefer to take up residence at a workstation and have the choice between custom adjustable height desks, movable desks on casters or large communal tables. They also have the option of using a desk located on the “quiet floor” or the more social floor with music. Having choice between different types of seating(lounge, café, desk), and the opportunity to engage in different experiences throughout the day is a crucial part of the bottom-up company model that encourages employees to have a sense of ownership. The seamless blend between work and play encourages authentic interaction and promotes collaboration.
