Airbnb may offer thousands of luxury lodgings around the world, but employees won’t want to leave the company’s swanky new San Francisco headquarters. Located at 999 Brannan Street, the office features 150,000 square feet of healthy, light-filled working space with lots of whimsical flare. Airbnb’s own Environments Team and WRNS Studio designed amazing features like a sky boat, a castle and themed floors that represent the company’s international presence.
The design of 999 Brannan – just mere steps from its existing San Fran headquarters – began by removing every non-structural element in the corner lot building, essentially creating a massive blank canvas. By scrapping the interior walls and hallways, the focus was put on flooding the interior space with as much natural light as possible. The huge atrium is a light-filled space with a curvaceous stairwell that winds up through the levels. A long mezzanine leads to the various offices as well as think spaces and conference rooms.
Related: Airbnb’s brand new Paris office is a loft-like space that feels like home
For design guidance, the teams concentrated on the company ethos of “Belong Anywhere” as well as the company’s new feature, Airbnb Trips, which offers users custom travel experiences designed and led by locals around the world. To highlight the new service and the company’s world-wide presence, international design elements were used on every floor. For example, each cafe has been styled according to a different city, such as Buenos Aires, Kyoto, Jaipur, and Amsterdam.
The building’s work spaces are divided into 16 “neighborhoods” that house up to 50 employees who spend their days working at the sitting or standing desks, brainstorming at the communal tables, or enjoying down time in one of the many cozy lounges.
Aaron Taylor Harvey, Airbnb Environments Executive Creative Director, explains that the design was based on providing employees with a comfortable working environment, “we wanted to bring the same bespoke nuance to this very large space that we brought to the first small office we designed in Portland. We want it to feel like a custom home to every inhabitant.”
