When brain training game company Lumosity began to think about the design for its new office in the recently overhauled Art Deco Pacific Bell Building at 140 New Montgomery, spaces for collaboration topped the wish list. Lumosity’s employees are constantly interacting and socializing, according to Founder and CEO Kunal Sarkar. So the company decided to dedicate the highest of its three floors of new space solely to meeting and hanging out, with not a single office or workspace on that level. Instead, there is a cafeteria featuring fridges stocked with kombucha, coconut water and Bi-Rite sandwiches, a full bar, a shuffleboard table, and lots of armchairs and casual meeting space, along with a few traditional conference rooms. For employees who want a quieter place to work, a hidden door opens into a secret library filled with antique books artfully arranged by color.
Lumosity brought the vision for their office to life with Boor Bridges Architecture, which also created spaces like Sightglass Coffee and Southern Pacific Brewing, and Geremia Design. The new offices will eventually house 340 employees, most of whom will sit in close quarters on the 17th and 18th floors of the PacBell building. When staff members need to hold meetings or escape to a quiet sanctuary, they move up to the 19th floor, which is also where they can enjoy catered breakfasts and lunches. CEO Kunal was surprised to find that the most popular feature of the new offices was not the expansive views of the bay, the library or even the bar, but a much simpler item: a sparkling water machine.
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