Airbnb will be opening its new office in Watermarque Building, Dublin on April 1 2014.
The online company is famous for its rental accommodation service for private lodging. What makes Airbnb different is that it emphasizes providing clients with a “unique accommodation” service.
So it is not surprising that the design of the company’s new Dublin office will reflect the uniqueness of the properties that they advertise to their customers.
According to Airbnb, the design was discussed with its designer, Heneghan Peng, to develop open spaces which encourage creativity and collaboration within its users.
From the entry, a reception area welcomes guests with an Irish pub-inspired design. It also has a horseshoe-shaped bar. The flooring is designed using three different types of tile, all of which are known to be sourced from different parts of Dublin. All over the office, traditional Irish telephone boxes are added as charming decorations.
The office space incorporates an open plan to enhance design flexibility. The design also took inspiration from an Amsterdam apartment as typified by one of the meeting rooms wherein it can be split into two spaces.
The workspace is also designed with a bench from Heneghan Peng. The bench, which is 12 metres long with six interlinked sections, was once a part of Peng’s 2012 Pavilion of Ireland exhibit during the Venice Biennale. The sections can be rotated and pivoted, allowing the user to alter the height of a part of the bench. The design is perfectly conducive to interactive discussions.
Meeting rooms are designed as pods wherein the design inspiration was taken from the “pod” idea of the properties that the company promotes globally. Within the office is a meeting space which can also be used as an informal working space.
