CHAPTER 13 On Creative Spirit
FormFiftyFive has a wonderful video “Erik Spiekermann on the
Centralised Office”^14 in which Spiekermann, in typically robust man-
ner, follows the train of thought that lead him to his studio vision, while
sketching his ideas, giving his vision form. I urge you to take ten minutes
to watch it.
So, what does the office look like?
The Centralized Office is round, made up of three or four concentric
circles. At its center lies a reception area, where all employees and visitors
enter. By channeling everyone — employees at all levels as well as clients
— through this central area, chance collisions are encouraged. Further
prompting these collisions, the center of the office, its beating heart, is
where “all the machinery is,” as Spiekermann puts it. Chief among this ma-
chinery are the computer printers and the espresso machine. (The espresso
machine is something Spiekermann feels strongly about — “Always invest
in the most expensive espresso machine you can buy!”. Good coffee will
always get you up from your desk.)
Siting printers and coffee at the heart of the Centralized Office is a
careful piece of strategic thinking, encouraging flow from the periphery
of the office to its center and back again. Like Pixar’s studio was creatively
envisioned to “promote encounters and unplanned collaborations,” the
core of Spiekermann’s vision serves a similar purpose, to drive everyone
together.
Walter Isaacson’s biography of Jobs echoes this vision. Isaacson states:Jobs believed that, “If a building doesn’t encourage [collaboration], you’ll lose a
lot of innovation and the magic that’s sparked by serendipity. So we designed
the building to make people get out of their offices and mingle in the central
atrium with people they might not otherwise see.”Brad Bird, director of “The Incredibles”, says:14 http://j.mp/thecentralisedoffice