Recent studies show that millennials thrive in work environments that take well-being seriously. So Facebook and Frank Gehry give them what they want in the social media company’s Silicon Valley HQ.
Earlier this year, Deloitte published a report called Mind the Gaps, an expansive study into the minds of millennials and their priorities at work. One of the most compelling takeaways is that the generation born after 1982 has a stronger com-mitment to improved social good and well-being than to profits. Other think tanks and R&D departments are reaching similar results. A key finding from a report by research firm Human Spaces, commissioned by Interface, indicated that physical space is central to happiness. For instance, two-thirds of survey respondents said that they feel most fulfilled in brightly coloured, naturally lit environments, with green, yellow and blue accents favoured the most.
We wondered how the ultimate millennial office – the Frank Gehry-designed campus for Facebook, which opened in March – stacks up. Many of the most desired features have been worked into the sprawling building (which was Instagrammed in April). For one, the rooftop is a vast playground, and almost everywhere you look there are full-height windows with views of Silicon Valley. Colour, too, has been generously added, and the open concept layout accommodates a variety of set-ups for working, relaxing and eating. The campus may not address every preference, but it points to a sea change in office design.