It could have been a truism that work was not “a day at the beach,” but even that is changing today.
As reported in Fast Company, Expedia’s new corporate headquarters in Seattle is on waterfront land that includes a quarter-mile long beachfront.
“Expedia donated two acres of the campus to the city of Seattle to create public access to that beach and to continue a waterfront bike and pedestrian path that connects to the city’s downtown, a few miles away. Though much of the campus is private space, the delineation between the corporate zone and the public realm is almost invisible… The design centers around outdoor pavilions and other areas where work can happen, or where workers can go to get away from their desks. That includes a large outdoor amphitheater for meetings and performances, bench-lined walking paths, and seating areas tucked inside meadows and gardens. A terraced mound looks out over the water, the bike path, and massive pieces of solid wood, salvaged from the region’s timber industry.”
The campus also focuses on sustainability, with regionally inspired local plantings in eight different zones that include more than 1,000 trees. Nine rain gardens scattered across the campus collect and absorb all the rain that falls, according to the article