TED, best known for the influential TED Talks website, is an organization that curates and facilitates the sharing of innovative ideas around the globe using new media and technology. They challenged us to envision what an office for the information age could be, and their motto: “ideas worth spreading,” became the DNA of our design. 

As technology increasingly adapts to people rather than the other way around, we wanted to create a work environment that better supports physical well-being, which in turn supports the mental well-being that is key to good idea-creation and sharing. 

The typology of the Theater emerged as a highly appropriate “heart” of the office. Their conferences are a form of theater, and as spaces designed for flexibility and idea exchange, theaters reflect TED’s mission beautifully, so we put a black-box theater-in-the-round in the middle of their office. The Theater serves simultaneously as “town square,” reception lounge, and informal work space, and is easily transformed into a presentation space where they host regular talks.

The physical office is less a fixed sequence of programmed spaces with a definable image than a transformable, process-driven, “soft” environment. Central spaces are defined by curtains or glass walls. Furniture is arranged to define team areas, but otherwise work areas are wide open to support TED’s collaborative culture. We developed a custom desk and other furniture in collaboration with Steelcase to clearly define each person’s space and provide options for privacy within a small footprint. 

The design accommodates a range of body positions and encourages moving between them.  People can choose to work seated in a chair at a desk or reclining in a lounge chair, and each team has a shared adjustable-height table for seated or standing meetings.  A coffee bar next to the kitchen allows for informal standing meetings, and a loft tucked above a free-standing conference room is perfect for idea-inspiring naps.