Tall buildings do more than just help shape skylines. The architects who design these buildings, for example, often strive to create the most "alluring" structures using sometimes mind-boggling structural feats. The corporations and developers who commission these towers, on the other hand, seek the expertise of architects and their teams of engineers and construction experts to create office buildings that can help establish physical representations of their businesses within the built environment. 

And what about the employees, the actual users of these towers?

When the Seattle-based technology company F5 Networks relocated their headquarters to what was formerly called "The Mark tower," their goal became to create a new space that places these users at the center of the design. Kurt Schlosser of Geek Wire reports that F5 executives wanted to find ways to improve their employees' commutes and work experiences, for one.

Ana White, F5 executive vice president, and chief human resources officer shared with Schlosser, "A lot of employees wanted better commutes, more access to freeways, more access to public transportation, closer access and proximity to different things in the city as well. This tower solved all that." With the help of architecture firm NBBJ, F5 has instituted a crucial design element within their buildings called "internal communicator stairs."

Schlosser reports, "From the 20th floor where F5 offices start, employees can reach the top floor via a spiraling, sculptural staircase that serves as an unimpeded 28-story "interaction zone" for the company." These stairs aim to connect "neighborhoods" as Schlosser describes them with gathering spaces and conference rooms. 

As Schlosser explains, the project provides a hopeful outlook on how these giant structures can also serve as spaces for employees to feel spatially aware of their relationship to the city and the work they perform within it.