Atlassian Offices in San Francisco, CA by Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture

Article source:  Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture

In San Francisco fashion 1098 Harrison has been past home to a church, disco, and print shop. Atlassian is proud to add software to the legacy. Situated in the heart of San Francisco’s South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood, Atlassian’s new workplace is more of an urban hub than the typical (albeit amusing) dot-com environment found in Silicon Valley. Having an international presence in the United States, Australia, and The Netherlands, Atlassian’s offices have been strategically located in dense urban areas. Atlassian’s industry leadership in enterprise software puts it in a category of growth and expansion during a time of economic recession; the need for new digs is the result of robust recruitment of a new generation of business software innovators.

Exterior View

• Architects: Studio Sarah Willmer Architecture
• Project: Atlassian Offices
• Location: San Francisco, CA
• Photography: Jasper Sanidad

Axial View of Town Square and Wood Box Conference Room

The New Space

As luxury buses transport urban dwellers to Silicon Valley, Atlassian made a bold and conscious move to stay in the city close to its workforce. The office interior, an unexpected oasis offset by an enigmatic warehouse exterior, offers generous and varied open space designed to mimic its city analog. While other software headquarters resemble clubhouses, tree houses, and a bevy of other office typologies, Atlassian’s clients and employees prefer a casually elegant environment. Atlassian currently services 81 of the Fortune 100 companies. Its new 42,000 square foot space reflects the company’s success at promoting an innovative product.

Entry to Event Space and Town Square

Atlassian’s culture is founded on being open and transparent with its employees, clients, and partners. In fact, the largest expense within the construction budget reflects the considerable amount of glazing utilized to achieve the balance of natural daylight and the need for an open and collaborative work environment. Multiple transparent conference rooms and various breakout areas for teamwork augment the egalitarian workspace (no dedicated or closed offices). The existing trussed double height space of the warehouse inspired the design of a “Town Square” and amphitheater: a common space for staff meetings, presentations, and product launches.  Naturally becoming the focus of their new workplace, the wood terraced amphitheater seating took on a life of its own, evolving into a sculpted wood object carved at its underbelly with frameless glass enclosing a primary conference room. Facing the amphitheater, six transparent conference rooms, one wrapped in wood, define and contain the public event space.

Wood Box and Translucent Conference Rooms

Employee support spaces integrated throughout the office include generous kitchen and café areas, a game room, lounge areas, ample bicycle parking and showers. A refined color palette is utilized throughout with bolder splashes of color used to activate the smallest of rooms, the skype booths. A 25ft long sandwich island in the kitchen is fully stocked for daily lunch makings, engendering casual staff discourse among its 150 (and counting) employees. Atlassian has an open door policy towards employee dogs, an attitude that highlights this new approach to work and workplace.

Amphitheater at First Floor

The design for Atlassian’s space contributes to a trend in office design where transparent work culture is ever present: software engineers sit next to CEOs, glass conference rooms reveal and invite collaboration and public space encourages teamwork and community building. Innovative in its software products, Atlassian inspires a congenial and accessible office where one can “raid” the fridge, bring a dog, bike to work and stay engaged in the company’s culture: an unforgettable workplace.

Amphitheater and Event Space

Second Floor Wood Box Conference Room

View Through Second Floor Conference Room

Second Floor Lounge

Entry

Light Wall and Primary Circulation

Color Splash: Skype Rooms

Sandwich Island Detail

Atlassian Group Photo

Site Plan

1st Flr Plan

2nd Flr Plan

Building Section AA

Cross Section BB

Sustainable Strategies Diagram

Cantilevered Conf Rm

Platform Seating Conf Rm

Platform Seating and 2nd Flr Coffee Bar Lounge

Tags: CA, San Francisco

Category: Offices

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