AOL refreshes its homepage with a new West Coast headquarters designed by Studio O+A
While the rest of the economy continues a slow recovery, everything from established global corporations to entrepreneurial startups are flourishing in the tech sector. But let’s not forget where it all started. At the age of (almost) 27, Internet pioneer AOL is already “old” by techy standards. But that has not prevented the company from adopting a fresh, young attitude, as evidenced in the design of its new West Coast headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, by Primo Orpilla, Verda Alexander and team, of San Francisco-based Studio O+A
In an effort to reinvent itself following its merger with and eventual split from Time Warner, AOL launched a company-wide initiative to adapt to changes in online culture. Part of that strategy involved re-thinking its real estate. In particular, AOL’s West Coast operation needed a jump-start, according to Trent Herren, AOL’s Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “We knew that in order to be successful in our turnaround, we would have to change the way we were doing business,” Herren says “We needed an open, collaborative, creative workplace. And we kind of figured that we would know it when we saw it.”
AOL's West Coast headquarters in Palo Alto, CA, was designed by Studio O+A to revitalize the company's entrepreneurial culture and create an office environment that would appeal to the next generation of collaborative workers. The design, defined by transparency, openness, and the use of simple, genuine materials, uses carpet to help define space and delineate transitions. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
The company hired O+A—a firm with an excellent reputation for creating high-performance workplaces for Silicon Valley clients—to provide the necessary injection of energy. “AOL needed to hit the reset button,” says Orpilla. “They had to rebrand their space if they wanted to compete for the best talent. This was an opportunity to get employees on board and energized. The workplace they had didn’t speak to that need.”
The existing space had a distinctly 1980s corporate aesthetic, including drop ceilings, high cubicle walls separating employees, dark finishes, and oblique lines. “The space had 12-to-15-year-old Silicon Valley details and functionality all over it,” says Orpilla. “The question became, how do we effectively remove those elements and get back to the basics.”
Some 80,000 sq. ft. on three floors were transformed into a clean white envelope with exposed ceilings and structure, 48-in. cubicle walls, expansive open space, and more shared areas, essentially creating the spatial equivalent of the transparency AOL was bringing to every aspect of its business. “Instead of five or six big conference rooms, we have 30 to 40 small conference rooms,” notes Herren. “It has encouraged our team to take a fresh look at their workspace. People are collaborating now.” Meeting spaces vary, from open lounge areas, platforms, and glass-walled conference spaces to a series of translucent, circular pods positioned throughout the main work areas and a common area that is part kitchen/part playroom, and even to corridors and tops of freestanding files. All are intended to encourage informal collaboration and spontaneous creativity.
“We also wanted to keep it real, with no frills, relating the space back to AOL’s new customer base,” says Alexander. “There is nothing overtly extravagant.” This pared down aesthetic is expressed with simple and genuine materials like concrete floors, oriented strand board, industrial lighting and detailing, and IdeaPaint (which turns vertical surfaces into white boards). Bold graphics and area rugs created from carpet tile help define space and add dimensionality.
“Space transitions were indicated by the ceiling systems above and the floors below,” says Orpilla. “We defined space via the flooring in many cases—for example, to delineate the change from corridors to work spaces. What’s underneath became very intuitive.”
How is AOL liking its new space? They know a good thing when they see it.
“Studio O+A’s work speaks for itself,” says Herren. “The space has a lot more energy. There is really something to be said for changing your physical environment.”
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