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Tag: Menlo Park

  • Facebook’s New Frank Gehry-Designed Office Opens Up – and Here’s What It Looks Like

    In September of 2013, Facebook broke ground on its giant new campus – the one designed by Frank Gehry. The new 433,555 sq. ft. building is expected to be filled with some 2,800 Facebook employees. It also features a giant rooftop space – a park and a garden, complete with a bunch of solar panels.

    Well, Facebook just moved in.

    Today we moved into our new Facebook building in Menlo Park, California.Our goal was to create the perfect engineering…

    Posted by Mark Zuckerberg on Monday, March 30, 2015

    “Our goal was to create the perfect engineering space for our teams to work together. We wanted our space to create the same sense of community and connection among our teams that we try to enable with our services across the world,” said Mark Zuckerberg. “The building itself is pretty simple and isn’t fancy. That’s on purpose. We want our space to feel like a work in progress. When you enter our buildings, we want you to feel how much left there is to be done in our mission to connect the world.”

    Ok, let’s see how it looks.

    There’s a rooftop teepee swing:

    And a giant rooftop park:

    Lobby 4:

    Lobby 4 #mpk20

    A photo posted by MJ Aquino (@mjaquino) on

    Oooh pretty colors:

    One last view from today: a beautiful spring day for a few walk and talk meetings overlooking San Francisco Bay. #MPK20

    A photo posted by Andrew Blotky (@andrewblotky) on

    #Facebook-kantoor #FrankGehry #SiliconValley #MPK20

    A photo posted by de Architect (@dearchitectnl) on

    Zuck was right – still a work in progress:

    Under construction #mpk20

    A photo posted by Caleb Peters (@smokmnky) on

    Image via Mark Zuckerberg

  • Facebook Is Turning Its Campus into a Small Town

    Facebook, like most large companies, hopes that its employees will eat, sleep, and breathe the job. Now, it looks like the company is taking that mantra literally – and they’re also adding drink, work out, and play to the mix.

    The company has announced plans to add a 630,000 sq. ft. housing community to its already massive Menlo Park campus. The space will feature 394 individual units and is less than two miles away from its main campus. They’re calling it Anton Menlo.

    According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, the complex will feature its own restaurant, sports bar, pet spa, pool, wellness center, personal training facility, and rooftop entertainment area.

    “The beauty of this thing is that it’s extremely close to our campus,” John Tenanes, Facebook’s director of real estate told the WSJ. “It’s a five-minute bike ride along a dedicated path that runs along the San Francisco bay…you don’t even have to put on the brakes.”

    15 of the units will be reserved for Facebook employees, but the rest are open to the public. Facebook will be subsidizing some units for low-income residents.

    Add the new living area to the new Frank Gehry-designed second campus that the company just broke ground on, and you’ve got yourself a Facebook mini-city.

    The second campus is a sprwaling 22-acre lot, on which a 433,555 sq. ft. building will be located. It was first announced back in August of 2012 and approved by the Menlo Park City Council in March.

    Image via Facebook

  • Facebook Breaks Ground on Frank Gehry-Designed Second Campus

    The construction on Facebook’s massive Menlo Park campus expansion has begun.

    The company has just broken ground on the second campus, which will be located across the street from the current campus. The 22-acre West Campus will house the new 433,555 sq. ft. building, which was designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. It’s expected to be filled with some 2,800 Facebook employees.

    The project was first announced in August of 2012 and approved by the Menlo Park city council in March.

    “It will be a large, one room building that somewhat resembles a warehouse. Just like we do now, everyone will sit out in the open with desks that can be quickly shuffled around as teams form and break apart around projects,” said Facebook Environmental Design Manager Everett Katigbak when the project was approved. “There will be cafes and lots of micro-kitchens with snacks so that you never have to go hungry. And we’ll fill the building with break-away spaces with couches and whiteboards to make getting away from your desk easy.”

    Eco-friendly is the reported theme of the new campus – complete with lots of trees and a rooftop garden. It’ll also receive a bunch of new solar panels:

    Post by Facebook Menlo Park.

    [The Almanac via AllFacebook]

    Images via Facebook

  • Facebook’s Frank Gehry-Designed Second Campus Gets the Green Light

    Facebook’s second campus expansion has officially been approved by the Menlo Park city council.

    The second campus will be located on the other side of the road from their current campus. The 22-acre West Campus will eventually sport a 433,555 sq ft building, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry. You may know Gehry as the man behind the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A.

    Mercury News reports that the council voted unanimously to approve the expansion (4-0 with one member absent). They also approved an environmental impact report that says the projects’ benefits will outweigh any negative consequences.

    “Congratulations…where’s the ‘like’ button?” said Mayor Peter Ohtaki.

    Facebook first announced the project back in August of last year.

    “It will be a large, one room building that somewhat resembles a warehouse. Just like we do now, everyone will sit out in the open with desks that can be quickly shuffled around as teams form and break apart around projects,” said Facebook Environmental Design Manager Everett Katigbak. “There will be cafes and lots of micro-kitchens with snacks so that you never have to go hungry. And we’ll fill the building with break-away spaces with couches and whiteboards to make getting away from your desk easy.”

    The exterior of the building will be eco-friendly filled with trees and a rooftop garden (complete with oak trees). There will also be a tunnel under the expressway that connects the two campuses.

    Gehry, known for designing beautiful but functional spaces, was reportedly willing to “tone it down,” which is what CEO Mark Zuckerberg wanted. Low key and functional.

  • Facebook Wants to Interview Poke Users, Places Ads

    Facebook wants to know if you’re poking, and if so, exactly how you feel about poking. Poking, of course, is my childish way of talking about Facebook’s new standalone Poke app, which launched a few weeks ago.

    The social network is currently running ads for research participants on users’ homepages that say, “Facebook is seeking paid participants for phone research.” Facebook is using internet recruiting tool Ethn.io to probe for subjects.

    Once a user clicks on the research ad, they are taken to a short questionnaire that asks whether or not they’re using the Poke app.

    “We’re conducting phone interviews about the poke app and would like to talk with you if you use the app. This is not spam…

    If you’d be willing to talk with us over Skype/GoTomeeting for 45 min and have a webcam, answer a few questions and we’ll contact you if you are selected. Only those who we contact will receive the incentive,” it reads.

    Inside Facebook reports that the “selected users,” will be eligible to receive a $75 Amazon gift card once they complete the Skype/GoToMeeting face-to-face interview. Facebook is apparently also using SurveyMonkey to find interviewees to bring to their headquarters in Menlo Park.

    Speaking of Menlo Park, Facebook has just altered the sign out front of the HQ to celebrate the launch of the Poke app. What used to be a giant image of the famous “like” graphic has been replaced by the logo for the Poke app – a blue, pointing index finger.

    It’s not surprising that Facebook would want some early feedback on its brand new messaging app. Poke allows users to send ephemeral messages to their friends, clearly launching as a competitor to Snapchat. Although some have dubbed both apps “sexting” apps because the messages disappear after a designated period of time, Facebook markets Poke as a way to let your friends in on what’s happening in your life, at the exact moment that it happens. We think that it’s premature to write off Poke as “that sexting app,” as the success of Snapchat has shown that temporary messaging is a type of messaging that interests people.

    With feedback from real users (and from those who haven’t yet used the app), Facebook can develop better strategies to both get more people using the app as well as to get current users more involved.

  • Facebook Celebrates Poke App with New Menlo Park Sign

    Out with the “like,” in with the “poke?”

    Facebook is promoting their brand new standalone app for ephemeral communications, Poke, by revamping their sign the sits in front of their Menlo Park headquarters.

    Facebook launched Poke last month, a rebranding of their longstanding but forgotten “poke” function. The Poke app allows users to send short-lived photo and video messages to friends – lasting either 1, 3, 5, or 10 seconds. Once the time is up, the messages vanish. Poke users are notified if recipients attempt to save a piece of the message with a screenshot. At launch, it was seen as a clear response to the popular Snapchat app, which allows users pretty much the same functionality.

    “To celebrate the launch of our new Poke app, designers Sharon Hwang, Tim Belonax, Ben Barry and Mike Matas—together with the team at New Bohemia Signs—had a little fun changing the sign in front of our Menlo Park HQ,” says Facebook.

    From “like”:

    Facebook like sign menlo park

    …to “Poke”:

    Snapchat, and subsequently Poke, are seen by some as a “sexting” apps, since they allow for discreet communications that hold no staying power. If you want to send your boyfriend a boob pic, Poke is a way to ensure that the image won’t wind up on reddit after you break up.

    Of course, Facebook isn’t marketing Poke like this. They say that it’s simply a fun and easy way to let your friends in on what you’re doing, at that exact moment in time – to share brief, impermanent communications from everyday life. Poke is in the early stages of its life, so we don’t really have any hard figures on its adoption. The NY Times’ Bits blog ran a piece calling it a “head-scratcher,” and the author claimed the in his unscientific determination, only 31 of his 500+ friends were currently using the app.

    Out of my 600+ friends, only one is currently using Poke.

    Nevertheless, Facebook is celebrating its launch. Do you think Poke will find a place among messengers?

  • Zuckerberg, Sandberg Host Oldest Facebook User at HQ

    Zuckerberg, Sandberg Host Oldest Facebook User at HQ

    101-year-old Florence Detlor graduated Occidental College in 1932, likes books, and lives in Menlo Park, California. She has an interesting title, as well: Oldest registered Facebook user.

    Or so says Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg. Detlor visited her and CEO Mark Zuckerberg yesterday, and Sandberg posted a photo of it on Facebook.

    “Honored to meet Florence Detlor, who at 101 years old is the oldest registered Facebook user. Thank you for visiting us Florence,” she said in a post.

    Reports last year noted a significant rise in social media use by seniors. One Pew report noted a 60% increase year-over-year in social media use by those aged 50-64.

    Sandberg’s post seems to have motivated some users to get their grandparents and great grandparents on Facebook. “Ok, so now I’m feeling competitive and ready to get my grandma on Facebook,” said one user. “She’s 103!”

  • Frank Gehry Is Designing the New Facebook Engineering Building

    Facebook is expanding, and they have just announced that the expansion is being designed by one of the modern icons of architecture.

    Frank Gehry will be behind the new addition to Facebook’s Menlo Park campus. You may know Gehry as the guy who built the Guggenheim Museum in Bilboa, Spain and the Walt Disney Concert Hall in L.A.

    Gehry, who is known for his ability to create beautiful yet functional spaces, will bring that talent to the new Engineering building. Facebook says that it will be able to house 3,400 employees when completed.

    “It will be a large, one room building that somewhat resembles a warehouse. Just like we do now, everyone will sit out in the open with desks that can be quickly shuffled around as teams form and break apart around projects. There will be cafes and lots of micro-kitchens with snacks so that you never have to go hungry. And we’ll fill the building with break-away spaces with couches and whiteboards to make getting away from your desk easy,” says Everett Katigbak, Facebook’s Environmental Design Manager.

    The outside will feature an eco-friendly space filled with trees and a rooftop garden on top of the structure.

    Employees will be able to travel between the current campus and the expansion via underground tunnel (cool).

    Facebook says they plan to break ground on the addition in early 2013.

  • Facebook’s Menlo Park Expansion Approved

    Facebook’s Menlo Park Expansion Approved

    Menlo Park leaders officially have approved Facebook’s expansion of its headquarters in that town, which will allow the search giant to hire up to 6,600 new workers. Good news, considering that Facebook’s botched IPO put the company in the habit of actually taking money from people.

    facebook menlo park

    Facebook presently employs roughly 2,200 workers at its Menlo park campus, and the city council unaminously approved triple that, putting the number of employees allowed at about 6,600. The limit had previously been 3,600. Facebook will pay the city close to $850,000 annually for the next 10 years, along with an up-front payment of about $1 million to establish services in the Menlo Park community, such as job training programs. Roughly half a million dollars will also be contributed to charitable funds around the area.

    Facebook stock, which is presently hovering at around $27 per share, still has the money to just hand out millions. Interestingly, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg just praised Morgan Stanley Chairman and Chief Executive, James Gorman, for its awesome IPO. Gorman responded, “Facebook is a great company and will still be in so in a few months.”

    [via: The Next Web]

  • A Look Inside Facebook Headquarters

    A Look Inside Facebook Headquarters

    Kenshoo’s Geoffrey Shenk, who previously worked at Google, visited Facebook offices and took a bunch of pictures. They are now posted on Google +. We have taken the cream of the crop and posted them here for you to enjoy. Or lament, when you realize your office has no chance of getting free snack bars and cafeterias around every corner.

    I knew that there were murals painted at Facebook HQ, but I had no idea the amount of graffiti that covered the walls. If you view all the photos in Shenk’s journal you will see that it is everywhere.

  • Facebook Moves Into New Home In Menlo Park

    Facebook announced that its final wave of employees have moved into the company’s new campus in Menlo Park from its previous Palo Alto location.

    The campus consists of 10 buildings. There are 2,000 employees in the East Campus, with a vacant lot next door for “further developments”. The company says it is hoping to accommodate a lot more in the years to come.

    A blog post from John Tenanes, Facebook’s Global Director of Real Estate, says:

    Some features of the campus might be familiar. We’ve always believed in “hacking out” our space—putting up posters and scribbling ideas on the walls—so we lined the hallways with chalkboard paint and put a box of chalk on everyone’s desk. Everywhere you go is stimulating and different. We’ve exposed the ductwork along the high-ceilinged corridors to give the place an unfinished feel and remind us that our work is never done.

    There are no private offices or cubicles. We tore down those unnecessary walls so that everyone could sit out in the open with their teams. We’ve scattered hundreds of conference rooms and “cozies”—little breakaway spaces filled with couches and brightly colored chairs—throughout the buildings. As people run into each other in hallways or at the micro-kitchens, it’s important that they can quickly duck away somewhere if they want to chat or hash out ideas. Every conference room features a glass wall or panel so that you can quickly see what’s going on inside. This is because we believe transparency and openness help us move fast, even as we grow.

    The whole campus is connected through a central courtyard. Right now it’s still filled with bulldozers and dirt, but when it’s finished, we’ll have two full-service cafes, two coffee shops, on-site doctors, a fitness center, and much more. And as always, we still offer other perks like free dry cleaning and endless snacks in our micro-kitchens.

    Facebook has donated laptops to Meno Park’s Belle Haven Middle School, is running safety workshops, and has sponsored Zimride to come to the city.

    Tenanes says Facebook will soon launch “Facebucks,” which is described as a program that incentivizes employees to “get out, enjoy and spend money in downtown Menlo Park.”

    He adds that the company is “relentlessly focused” on minimizing its impact on the environment, and is pursuing a LEED Gold certification, offering recycling and composting bins everywhere for employees.

    He says the company has reused as much of the existing structure as possible, and is offering a transportation program to provide alternatives to single-car commuting (including free shuttles from the surrounding areas, vanpools, bicycles, and a partnership with Zimride).

    The company says it doesn’t plan to add a single new parking space to the existing campus as it grows.