When Google emerged as a search engine innovator, the company’s unconventional Googleplex headquarters in Mountain View, California, showed the business world what a workplace could be.
With foosball tables, a bowling alley, lava lamps, nap pods, a coffee laboratory, colorful sofas, slides between floors, and more, the Googleplex inspired tech company office design everywhere.
As the U.S. tech sector expanded in recent years, driving nearly 25 percent of office leasing activity, tech companies have become a tenant of choice in many cities, according to JLL research.
However, many have specific requirements in mind for their workspace and only some buildings will make the cut. “Tech tenants look for buildings with character and connectivity to accommodate their workplace design styles,” says Steffen Kammerer, who leads JLL’s Technology Practice group. “Such elements as high ceilings, large windows and open, pet-friendly spaces will inspire a tech company to consider signing a lease.”