Microsoft moves into Herzog & de Meuron building in Milan

This is cool: Technology giant Microsoft has a new Italian headquarters in a Herzog & de Meuron-designed building, featuring an open, free-flowing layout.

The company occupies six floors inside the Feltrinelli building in Milan, with an office space masterminded by local studio DEGW. In the spirit of the company’s ethos of a “new world of work” where staff flexibility is encouraged, the space is open with no dedicated work stations so that everyone is allowed to move about.

“Smart working spaces” are also important; Microsoft wants to maximize team work while cultivating well-being and social interaction through the use of functional and technologically innovative spaces.

“We have mainly focused on the intrinsic meaning of the ‘human touch’, creating a better, smarter and more flexible working environment,” Cristiana Boienti, senior architect at DEGW, told Designboom.

DEGW designed the 7,500 square-meter space (about 81,000 square feet) with the guiding concept ‘100% made in Italy’. Natural materials like wood create a warm and inviting atmosphere, which is contrasted by the overall sleek interior design.

There are also different areas to cater to different working environments, including a ‘play’ work area with fake pitch carpeting, ‘immersion suites’, and a ‘creative gardens’ that has high-performance acoustics.

Via: Designboom