Slack Headquarters

General Contractors

SC Builders

General Contractors

Commercial Casework
Northwestern Design

Photographer

Garrett Rowland

FF&E

CRI
Two Furnis
Alexis Moran
Superfab
Northwood
Woodtech

Finishes

Andresen
Ferrari Graphics
Commercial Casework
Northwestern Design
Junkers
Shaw
Interface
Tandus
Mannington
Modulyss
Crossville
DalTile,
Bizen
Ann Sacks
Cle
Fireclay
Maharam
Moore & Giles
Edelman
Kvadrat

Consultants, Engineers,
Sub-contractors

AVDG
Decker Electric
Lucifer, Vode, Allied Maker, Ravenhill, Rich Brilliant Willing, Roll & Hill, Lumen Alpha, Luminii, Hunza, Boca, KKDC, Lithonia, Iguzzini, Fluxwerx, Lumenpulse
Habitat Horticulture
CMI
ESD
Holmes Structure
Salter
Niteo
Gary Bell and Associates
The Fire Consultants

When Slack asked O+A to create its new multi-floor headquarters in San Francisco one design story presented itself immediately. Slack’s CEO Stewart Butterfield is an outdoorsman, a hiker who goes off grid every year and recharges in the various types of wilderness desert, mountains, forest—that make up the Pacific Crest Trail. Because that trail forms a bridge between two of Slack’s offices in Vancouver and San Francisco it seemed a thematic link too rich to pass up. O+A’s concept was to create a floor-by-floor evocation of those landscapes—in effect to turn a trip up the elevator into a virtual trip from Baja to the Pacific Northwest. The idea was to suggest not just a variety of topographical and botanical contexts, but to capture, as well, the experiential links between hiking a wilderness trail—and work.

Slack’s team saw a value in having each floor reflect the variety and irregularity of nature. Just as wayfinding on a mountain trail, is often a matter of conferring with other hikers, every work day is an experience of collaborating with others to find your way to the next level. The unique configurations of each floor at Slack echo the mental stimulation—and need for community— that comes with taking a new path.

Central to O+A’s design concept was the idea that every work project, like every hike in the wilderness,
is a process of discovery. Classic interior design frames large architectural moments to attract the most eyes at once. At Slack those moments come as “scenic surprises”—like an unexpected good idea. You turn a corner and there is a wall installation that replicates the topography of Lake Tahoe in a way that seems to float in space. You walk down a pathway and there is a “starry night” room like a
stage set.