Urban Land Institute, November 9, 2015
Since the first dot-com era, technology firms have rewritten the rules of workplace design, eschewing traditional office towers in favor of renovated warehouses and shrinking individual desk space to make room for more collaborative areas. Today’s tech companies increasingly internalize the mix of uses found in cities, incorporating elements as varied as cafés and vegetable gardens. Design inspiration may come from a building’s historic elements, a company’s founding stories, and the interests of the workers themselves, lending the workplace a feeling of authenticity and personalization.
The following ten projects—all completed during the past three years—include adapted textile factory buildings and liquor distribution warehouses, workplaces with amphitheaters and secret rooms, and a net-zero-energy structure.
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StartupSmart, December 5, 2014
The challenges for Kickstarter-backed hardware startups don’t end once you’ve raised the money.
Microbrics’ managing director Brenton O’Brien, who is beginning to ship his LEGO-compatible Edison robots after a successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, has the extra pressure of getting his product out in time for Christmas.
“We’ve been dealing with the issues of getting products out to customers and stock into the distribution centre,” O’Brien says. “We’re a little behind where we’d like to be, but because a lot of people ordered these as Christmas presents and we don’t want to disappoint anyone, we’re working really hard to get these out before Christmas.”
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The Slate reviews Kickstarter as a project funding and interest building site. The review includes a discussion of successful products and the companies to make it happen. Shipwire named with Shopify.com, Kickstarter .com and Shapeways.com
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