September 18, 2013

"Imagine working in an office that looks like a spaceship, or perhaps one that’s part rainforest."

"Just think of the ideas you could come up with while lying in a bathtub filled with foam, staring at dreamy-looking fish tanks."

Posted by Ann Althouse at 7:49 AM
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8 comments:

cubanbob said...

Spying on everyone is one idea we could do without. Perhaps if they work in an open plan office with glass walls they might come up with some better ideas.

9/18/13, 9:07 AM
BarrySanders20 said...

The Epic Systems campus in the shadow of the Alt-House has some pretty amazing work space as well. It's not on the Google scale, but if anyone is interested in cool-quirky places to work in Wisconsin, check out the public tours that Epic Systems gives.

They just opened a Deep Space auditorium 5 stories below ground.

I think the CEO, Judith Faulkner, uber-nerd and multi-billionaire, is one of the wealthiest women in the US. She cashed in on the electronic medical record craze and uses some of the company's profits not diverted to her on building the campus.

9/18/13, 9:45 AM
MadisonMan said...

What can designers amped up on caffeine and with a blank check come up with?

9/18/13, 10:13 AM
Ann Althouse said...

"the public tours that Epic Systems gives"

I wonder if these spaces are part of the company's branding and interface with the public and not anything that has much to do with the conditions under which the employees actually work.

9/18/13, 10:20 AM
Paddy O said...

The bath comment reminds me of the B-Ark in the Hitchhiker series by Douglas Adams.

9/18/13, 10:59 AM
kjbe said...

"What can designers amped up on caffeine and with a blank check come up with?"

Exactly.

9/18/13, 11:13 AM
paminwi said...

I took a private tour of the Epic campus and the actual working spaces are set up that each employee has their own office with walls and a door- no cubicles. There were some people sharing space because they are growing so fast. The goal is to have individual working space and then the many varied group work spaces.

There is even a "tree house" that they have built from all the leftover building materials accessible by a hanging bridge that has a bell that rings when you step on it to let the treehouse occupants know someone is coming!

The guide told us that the goal of Epic is to go after mostly government contracts,(federal, state, etc.) universities, any entity that for the most part doesn't have to fight for funds - no budget conscious groups allowed is what I took out of that comment. They are working with the local medical community because it is good public relations, again according to our guide.

Remember Judith Falukner started an opposing group to Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) because they were too right leaning? She is good friends with Barack Obama!

9/18/13, 3:02 PM
tim maguire said...

"Just think of the ideas you could come up with while lying in a bathtub filled with foam, staring at dreamy-looking fish tanks."

Probably no different than the ideas I'd come up with after lighting up a doobie.

9/18/13, 9:41 PM

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