How Tomorrow Works: 5 Offices for Tech Companies

At headquarters and satellite offices, technology is the strategy.

1. Gensler
Project: Koninklijke Philips
Location: Somerset, New Jersey
Standout: Inspired by the video game Tetris and illuminated by LEDs, color-blocked environments help consumers experiment with lighting techniques.

2. Andrew Bartle Architects
Project: Pandora
Location: New York
Standout: From Ludwig van Beethoven to Diana Ross, portraits rendered in CNC-cut MDF slats represent genres offered by the music-streaming Web site and app.

3. Olson Kundig Architects
Project: Microsoft
Location: Redmond, Washington.
Standout: The lobby’s world map in laminated maple plywood, veneered in ash, represents the international scope of the cyber-crime fought here.

4. JEMS Architects and Ultra Architects
Project: Allegro
Location: Poznan, Poland
Standout: A ground-up building for Eastern Europe’s version of eBay is furnished with items purchased from the Web site.

5. Aecom
Project: DirecTV
Location: El Segundo, California
Standout: The main entry to the headquarters takes the form of a 26-foot-high “cyclone” composed of polycarbonate panels fronting color-changing LEDs.