Exposed Brick Walls & Concrete Define The New Yelp Headquarters
Yelp recently moved its headquarters from a smaller site into a multi-story area in San Francisco. Studio O+A was responsible for the new design. The major challenge of the project was facilitating group dynamics and interaction between employees that work on different floors and creating a sense of community throughout.
In order to do that, the team came up with a simple solution. Each floor contains a space appealing to everyone else. This way there’s a permanent interaction and exchange of visitors.
The architects employed exposed bricks and concrete to create a sense of comfort throughout while also blending modern and rustic in a stylish design.
The 8th floor houses a fully-equipped coffee shop, the 5th floor has a break room and the 11th floor contains a series of semi-private pods where groups can play chess or simply chat. The reception area is one the 9th floor and, to make it more appealing, the team turned this area into a general store.
Although the new layout and design of the headquarters are new and very different from the old one, certain elements help maintain a familiar look. For example, doors reclaimed from offices that originally occupied the site were incorporated into the new project and, in combination with the exposed brick, a connection is created with the history of the building.
Old and new come together throughout the campus but perhaps it’s the coffee bar that best showcases this juxtaposition with its brick walls, modern kitchen and custom lighting suspended from hand-woven rope fixtures.