Rover’s new headquarters embodies the passion for pets that the tech company is founded on and extends it to embrace their employees.
Rover, an online platform connecting pet parents with dog people to provide in-home dog boarding, pet sitting, dog walking and day care needs, needed a renewed headquarters in Seattle, USA, that could embody their passion for pets. As a rapidly growing start-up, they wanted their headquarters to support growth, portray them as an energetic brand and evoke a dog-friendly atmosphere.
Having outgrown their disjointed, inherited space, Rover knew they needed to upgrade their work environment to align with their company culture and values. To create an atmosphere connecting their employees to each other, Rover joined hands with Unispace to design and build four additional floors in a new building, and construct a “woofdeck”, with two additional expansion floors to accommodate future growth.
This pet-loving haven, where staff can work with their dogs in the vicinity, bears in mind workplace operation and durability. All workstations are enclosed with sliding doors, allowing pets of Rover staff to roam free near their owners. Finishes, hard surfaces, carpet and furniture have all been strategically curated to sustain dog shedding, scratching and any accidents. In order to mitigate noise and distraction challenges that may accompany the presence of pets at the workplace, additional focus and phone rooms were added near workstation areas, and larger meeting areas were consolidated within the same floor area.
Beyond spaces for day-to-day operations, Rover also needed a versatile space to regularly accommodate large gatherings and all-hands meetings. This space, constructed on the central floor, currently takes up almost 25% of the floor plan, and transforms from a café into a work lounge and open office space when not in use. Using the internal staircase, Unispace collaborated with Rover to coordinate like-business units on contiguous floors to maximise efficiency and collaboration.
Created for Rover, this unique and inclusive space conveys their personality and passion, while showcasing their forward-thinking approach towards workplace design.
Project: Rover
Location: Seattle WA, United States
Design Studio: Unispace
Photo Credit: Unispace
Website: unispace.com
