It can be quite easy to underestimate the effect that working environment and workplace design can have on both employees and customers. The world’s most successful organisations invest significant time and resources into their environment as they know that it has the ability to enhance and support the success of a business.

For employees, chances are they spend a significant proportion of their waking life at the office, therefore it is vital that the working environment is inviting and is somewhere people want to be, not somewhere they have to be. Workplace design has been proven to have a dramatic effect on employee morale, attitudes, and motivation. In terms of recruitment, a well-designed and inviting workplace can make all the difference when attracting the top talent in your industry.

From the customers perspective, the office can often be the very first impression they get of the organisation. The space, shape, colour scheme, lighting, furniture, everything they see will make an impression, whether this be conscious or subconscious. It can act as an advert for the business and it needs to properly reflect the brand of the organisation. Office design also can also convey the type of organisation it is. For example, a lawyer’s office may appear more sophisticated and professional with darker colours and straight lines, while a graphic design office may be more creative with bright colours and designs. This is an important factor to consider because it shows the business’s function and purpose.

The following are some examples of unique, amazing, and in some cases weird, office spaces from around the world.

Inventionland – Pittsburgh, USA

A 70,000 sqft facility that is designed with 15 different sets. Sets range from pirate ships, race tracks, and faux caves, to red carpet walkways, a castle, or a giant robot.

White Mountain Office – Stockholm, Sweden

Once used as an anti-atomic shelter, the White Mountain Office is located 100 feet below the surface of Stockholm and is home to a Swedish internet service provider

Selgas Cano Architecture – Madrid, Spain

The studios of Selgas Cano Architecture, in Madrid, are tucked inside the woods and nestled partially underground.

Second Home – Lisbon, Portugal

This Portugese coworking space is home to a whopping 1,000 + plants, which add privacy between desks, improve the air quality in the space, and help bring the outdoors inside.

Onefootball – Berlin, Germany

Broadcasting service Onefootball takes its sport seriously. A winding track snakes through the office, culminating in a goal where employees can take penalty kicks during breaks.

Pallotta Teamworks – Los Angeles, USA

Using shipping containers and large tents to create “breathing islands” inside the warehouse, these self-contained air-conditioned islands of activity provide space for each department within the company and gives them each an identity.

DTAC HQ – Bangkok, Thailand

A wooden amphitheatre/library is at the heart of this telecommunications office. There’s also an indoor running track, table tennis tables and an impressive roof terrace, all in the name of inspiring creativity,

Corus Quay – Toronto, Canada

This building is all about having fun and bringing the entire work force of a company together in one place. Bright colours, big TV’s, huge slides,boardroom tables shaped like ice hockey rinks – this building really has it all.

Epic Systems – Wisconsin, USA

One of Epic Systems’ many themed hallways, pictured above, mimics the New York City subway.

Innocent Smoothies – London, England

Workers at ‘Fruit Towers’ are encouraged to pick their own desks and work somewhere different each day to encourage mixing. Twee bunting and astroturfed floors complete the look.