Check Out How Much Fancier Facebook’s New Digs Are

2 minute read

Correction appended

Facebook started in a college dorm room, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg seems to be trying to recapture the kind of spontaneous collaboration that can happen in those spaces with the social networking giant’s new building.

Dubbed by the company as the “largest open floor plan in the world,” the new 430,000-square-foot, single story facility in Menlo Park, Calif. places thousands of workers — Zuckerberg included — in a single giant room. Product teams are clustered together throughout the sprawling space, which resembles an aircraft hangar. Atop the building is a 9-acre park with walking trails and seats to host outdoor meetings.

The design of the new workspace, intended to encourage collaboration, is also supposed to reenforce Facebook’s overall mission of connecting the world. “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,” Zuckerberg said back in March when he and his employees moved in.

The building, called MPK 20 and designed by celebrated architect Frank Gehry, is a far cry from the more pedestrian office complex that used to be the base of their operations — although the company still uses that building as part of its campus. Here, we offer some comparison shots between the older and newer spaces.

Correction: The original version of this article incorrectly described the purpose of Facebook’s new facility. It is an extension of its headquarters.

 

An aerial of Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park CA on the San Francisco Bay.
Main Headquarters: An aerial of Facebook's headquarters in Menlo Park, CA on the San Francisco Bay.Steve Proehl—Corbis
An aerial view of Facebook's new campus, an expansion of its current headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. The LEED-certified building, known as MPK 20, has a 9-acre "green roof."
New Building: An aerial view of Facebook's new building an expansion of its current headquarters in Menlo Park. The LEED-certified building, known as MPK 20, has a 9-acre "green roof."Matt Harnack for Facebook
Hack
Main Headquarters: After encouragement from Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to decorate their headquarters, the word "hack" was designed into the outdoor landscaping. Steve Proehl—Corbis
The roof of the new campus contains a half-mile walking loop for employees and over 400 trees.
New Building: The roof of the new building contains a half-mile walking loop for employees and over 400 trees.Matt Harnack for Facebook
Buidling 10 stands on the Facebook Inc. campus in Menlo Park, California, U.S., on Dec. 2, 2011.
Main Headquarters: Buidling 10 stands on the Facebook campus.David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images
The new Facebook headquarters, known as MPK 20, opened this spring
New Building: The new Facebook building, known as MPK 20, opened this Spring.Matt Harnack for Facebook
Facebook employees are shown on the campus in Menlo Park, Calif., Friday, March 15, 2013.
Main Headquarters: Facebook employees are shown on the campus below the famous sign "The Hacker Company".Jeff Chiu—AP
The lobby of the new campus is entered from the roof.
New Building: The lobby of the new building is entered from the roof.Matt Harnack for Facebook
A general view of the outdoor lunch and relaxtion area at the old Facebook main campus in Menlo Park, California on May 15, 2012.
Main Headquarters: A general view of the outdoor lunch and relaxtion area at Facebook's main campus.Robyn Beck—AFP/Getty Images
A view of the MPK 20 roof at night, which is topped by a massive garden
New Building: A view of the MPK 20 roof at night, which is topped by a massive garden.Gehry Partners, LLP
A Facebook Inc. employee works on a laptop computer at the company's old campus in Menlo Park, California, U.S., on Dec. 2, 2011.
Main Headquarters: A Facebook employee works on a laptop computer at the company's headquarters.David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images
Facebook employees took to Instagram to show off parts of their new digs, such as this artwork in the MPK 20 building.
New Building: Facebook employees took to Instagram to show off parts of their new digs, such as this artwork in the MPK 20 building.Brad Baldwin (@baldwin908) via Instagram
A Facebook employee walks past The Facebook Wall at the old Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. on March 15, 2013.
Main Headquarters: A Facebook employee walks past The Facebook Wall at MPK 10.Jeff Chiu—AP
Colorful artwork adorns many of the walls at Facebook's new campus.
New Building: Colorful artwork adorns many of the walls at Facebook's new building.MJ Aquino (@mjaquino) via Instagram
The desk is staffed inside the lobby area of the old Facebook Inc. campus in Menlo Park, California, U.S., on Dec. 2, 2011.
Main Headquarters: The desk is staffed inside the lobby area of the main Facebook campus.David Paul Morris—Bloomberg/Getty Images
The Frank Ghery-designed staircases are designed to be bring in lots of natural light, as opposed to the claustrophobic stairwells of traditional office buildings
New Building: The Frank-Gehry designed staircases are designed to bring in lots of natural light, as opposed to the claustrophobic stairwells of traditional office buildings.Andrew Blotky (@andrewblotky) via Instagram

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