Microsoft, the tech behemoth founded by Bill Gates in 1975, has always been at the fore of trailblazing innovation – so it's no surprise that their newly unveiled headquarters is a striking reflection of that.
Perched in the heart of Singapore at Frasers Tower, the company’s newest regional headquarters of Asia Pacific – one of the fastest growing regions for Microsoft – was newly unveiled this month. The office is spread across a mammoth 134,550sqft over six floors, and is set to house over 1,400 employees within an environment that aims to fuse the worlds of physical and digital to perfect harmony.
To realise this vision, they tapped international design consultancy FITCH and Hong Kong-based consultancy SLA, who looked to incorporate the many leading-edge tech elements such as artificial intelligence-enabled cameras, smart lockers, IT vending machines and more into a carefully designed environment that is rooted in comfort and vitality.
“The next wave of workplace design should be the antithesis of corporate,” says Simon Bell, FITCH’s managing director of South East Asia, who worked with the design team to reimagine a collaborative, immersive experience that all at once caters to the individual identities and needs of employees. This is seen in the unique “villages” built into the office; pockets of spaces that cater to different working styles and preferences for collaboration, from open lounges to quiet corners, phone booths and a café.
In true collective fashion, the firms also invited employees to contribute to the design elements of their workspaces by handpicking their favourite furniture pieces, space settings, naming meeting rooms and even displaying their personal photography as art. These sit next to beautiful wall murals by local Singaporean artist Max Lim and and peranakan-inspired design across the office.
Anchoring the new office is a striking centrepiece: an expansive interactive digital and physical wall that stretches all the way vertically through six whole floors, showcasing various content and live updates spanning the company’s philanthropic initiatives, internal developments, global news and more.
Photos courtesy of Microsoft and Corp Real Estate Microsoft.
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