Why Are Office Buildings So Boring, Dull, & Ugly? \ stacker news ~Construction_and

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Why Are Office Buildings So Boring, Dull, & Ugly?

641 sats \ 11 comments \ @kr 18 Jan Construction_and_Engineering

The other day I came across the most amazing corporate office/campus I've ever seen, and despite the company being one of the world's largest private companies, somehow I had never heard of them before.

I had also never heard of the founder, who is 81 years old, has run the company since 1979, and is one of the world's richest self-made women.

Maybe their campus is just an isolated spectacle and isn't related to the company's success... but then again, maybe it is. Either way, it makes me wonder why so many office buildings are so boring, dull, and devoid of life...

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62 sats \ 2 replies \ @Undisciplined 18 Jan

You should look into the town Columbus, IN.

33 sats \ 1 reply \ @kr OP 18 Jan

whoa, definitely making a trip there this summer

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Undisciplined 18 Jan

I'll be curious to hear what you think. There's a documentary about the town that I'd recommend watching first.

70 sats \ 1 reply \ @BlokchainB 18 Jan

Time and cost. Design with different materials and concepts is expensive. When everything is a race to the bottom (i.e. always going with the lowest technically sound bid) contractors A/E firms are not rewarded for bringing beauty to life.

63 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr OP 18 Jan

If cost is a major concern, I wonder why more large companies don’t try the Epic playbook.

Buy up a big chunk of land outside of a mid-tier city, and build an entire community with custom buildings full of personality. They pay less for office expenses than the average company in the US.

10 sats \ 1 reply \ @JesseJames 18 Jan

There is also own vs. rent for office expenses. It's clear they own this place, hence lower cost overall. It's easier for smaller companies to rent a floor vs. buy a land and develop without knowing if a company will even exist next year, so there is that...

21 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr OP 18 Jan

yeah it's definitely harder for startups to commit to long-term buildouts of a new space, but i wonder if there could also be companies that cater to early stage startups by building really amazing campuses for them (kind of like a co-working campus)

31 sats \ 1 reply \ @Myshkin 18 Jan

In my experience, it's just that generally company thinks that "it's good enough" and employees think that too. Nowadays companies spend more on bullshit pseudo motivational HR stuff rather than actual wellness.

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @kr OP 18 Jan

it’s kind of depressing, but i think you’re onto something here

20 sats \ 0 replies \ @IamSINGLE 18 Jan

You should have a look at this. https://4naturesystem.com/en/blog/bid-180-the-most-interesting-offices-in-the-world-part-1

0 sats \ 0 replies \ @JesseJames 18 Jan

Hell, with the office like that (no traffic is nice) I would actually show up there 2 times a week :-) This is different and intriguing. Regarding general corporate offices, If they want productivity, why do the companies measure that instead of counting who's in the office and who is not? Maybe, just maybe, some people are more productive after 5 PM or before 9 AM. Gee, that never happened before....lol