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    Beyond the Cubicle: 10 Out-of-the-Box Workplaces
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Beyond the Cubicle: 10 Out-of-the-Box Workplaces

Let’s face it– a cubicle, a humming fluorescent light and a square box office building can be creativity killers in the working world. Alternatively, work can be a beautiful thing when done in the right environment. If you’re looking to break out of the traditional work place and discover something special, join us to explore ten offices that are amongst the most inspiring workplaces in the modern world. It’ll make 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. some of the most enjoyable hours of your day…

Bastard Store and Office by Studiometrico

Between spreadsheets, sales calls and IT meetings, the employees at the Bastard Store and Office sweat out their stresses in their own indoor skate park. The terraced office overlooks a large wooden bowl built for kick flips, ollies, grinds and jump tricks during office downtime. Below the bowl, a full-service retail store welcomes the public in local Milan, Italy. It’s a skater’s dream, a hybrid office/retail/skate park designed by Studiometrico.

Bastard Store and Office Gallery

Hidden Log Cabin Office

In a quiet forest in the Netherlands, a not-so-ordinary stack of logs houses a private workspace and recording studio for composer Hans Liberg. Thanks to a creative design by Piet Hein Eek, Liberg can work peacefully amongst the flora and fauna without being detected. Think of it like an elaborate hunting blind, but Liberg’s weapon of choice is a keyboard and creativity. We can’t imagine a more serene work environment.

Log Cabin Office Gallery

Cave Office and Data Center

This underground space looks the part of a 007 Bond villain lair, but in reality it is an office and data center for a Swedish internet service provider. It was built into an existing atomic bomb shelter placed some 30 meters under the streets of Stockholm. Despite the rocky walls, the designer created a comfortable environment with living green accent walls, colored lighting and contemporary furnishing. The result feels very high-tech, yet eco-minded all at once. The ISP company gets bonus points for heating the structure with waste heat from servers. This is an all-around stunning, sustainable workplace.

Cave Office Gallery

Fogo Island Studio

The pristine, rocky coasts of Fogo Island, Newfoundland are largely untouched by human development. The exception is a small collection of contemporary artist studios designed by a range of modern architects. One is the Fogo Island Studio by Bent Rene´Synnevåg, a marvel of design that is perched over the cold Atlantic. This and the other Fogo Island studios welcome artists and writers who take temporary residence in these work spaces to develop their craft. The environment, the design and the seclusion combine for an unparalleled manner of inspiration for a few lucky creatives.

Fogo Island Studio Gallery

Saatchi & Saatchi Bangkok

Modern, whimsical, bright and animated, the new office of Saatchi & Saatchi Bangkok brings a strong sense of imagination out of its art directors, graphic designers and copy writers. The shapes and colors are playful, the furnishing elements are interactive, and the cooperative spaces are open and illuminated. The design might be a bit too loud for some, but volume has never been an issue for this storied creative agency.

Saatchi & Saatchi Bangkok Gallery

OfficePOD Prefab Office

Those who work from home understand the urge to separate work from home life. Even a short walk out the back door can provide an important level of separation that will keep work where it belongs and provide a valuable “business buffer”. The OfficePOD Prefab Office is a small, single-occupant office system that can be placed just about anywhere– from the back yard to the countryside. The allure is instantly apparent, a way to keep everything in its place and separate work from home in an architecturally interesting fashion.

OfficePOD Prefab Office Gallery

Forest Playscape Office

With a glance at the photograph above, you can almost hear the birds chirping even though they aren’t even there. When you can’t put your office in a forest, you can always bring the forest to you. That’s what the architect did for this forest playscape office, a peaceful setting with green deciduous trees and work spaces enclosed in personal glass bubbles. Peace and quiet merge with inspiration from above for this wild office design that places a premium on “open privacy”.

Forest Playscape Office Gallery

Treehouse Office

Pardon the pun, but this Treehouse Office by Peter Frazier takes forest working to new heights. This office is perched in a canopy of trees overlooking a valley near Bellingham, Washington. Not only is this office great for working, it’s large enough to act as a weekend cabin for personal retreats. The balcony deck looks like the ideal place to enjoy an after-work glass of wine and perhaps a good book.

Treehouse Office Gallery

H2Office Floating Workspace

Instead of working high in the trees or deep in a forest, the H2Office Floating Workspace provides inspiration in the gentle rocking of the sea. This office was designed with marine businesses in mind, but it’s open to anyone– just find yourself a dock to lease, move the office into place and you’ve got yourself an office like no one else in your city. What’s more, the H2Office comes with an optional wind turbine to generate some power from the ocean breezes around you. Nice touch.

H2Office Floating Workspace Gallery

Selgas Cano Architecture Office

The Spanish architecture firm Selgas Cano has designed for itself a truly remarkable office in the forest. This amazing work space is placed slightly below the ground level with an arched glass wall that extends from one end of the building to another. It provides a panoramic view of the nature around it, where plants and animals go about their day as the architects within create their next work. it leaves us with only one question– are they hiring?

Selgas Cano Architecture Office Gallery

Thanks for reading, and extra thanks for those of you who share this with your friends. Is your work space special or unique in some way? Feel free to share yours in the comments or tweet about it to us @thecoolist. We feel that work is special when you love what you do, and it’s even more special when you do it in a place you love.