Office buildings can be drab, dreary, and downright dreadful.
They don't have to be. The 2017 World Architecture Festival has released its shortlist for the most beautiful office buildings in the world—and you can seem them below in all their angular glory.
You probably don't work in any of these, but everyone needs career goals.
Pull & Bear Central Headquarters, Narón, Spain
Not just pretty on the outside, the building boasts four courtyards, an open staircase, and glazed elevators.
Västgötagatan 5, Stockholm, Sweden
"Considering the previously introspective and somber appearance designed back in the 70’s characterized by small windows, a heavy green façade and an interior designed for a single tenant, the need for an uplift and modernization was obvious," wrote architecture firm Equator Stockholm in the project description.
EY Centre, 200 George Street, Sydney, Australia
"The EY Centre is a building that reinterprets and honours the uniqueness and history of this place, positioned at the edge of Sydney’s Tank-Stream (the first water source of the colony of New South Wales)," wrote architecture firm Francis-Jones Morehen Thorp in the project description. "At the heart of this project is both workplace design and city making."
S.Y. Construction Headquarters, Taichung, Taiwan
"The design concept of this project is based on the situation," wrote H.K.W Architects Associate in the project's description. "When every form and material is minimized to the essence, natural environment merges to the courtyard and interior space intrinsically."
Architecture & Design Studio , Chennai, India
"The designers and engineers of KSM Architecture set out to design and build a new studio for themselves in the midst of the city's emerging commercial hub," KSM wrote about its project. "KSM Architecture Studio embodies the design beliefs and principles of the practice, that has been about environmentally friendly and climate sensitive and relevant architecture."
Lai Yard, Nanjing, China
"Located in the south of city, the plain historic house is introverted, which is different from its lively name in fact," wrote architecture firm Minggu Design. "This project illustrates the architect’s philosophy and understanding of dualistic opposition theory, as well as the attempt to observe the truth and reality through such a method."
Co Op Kyosai Plaza, Tokyo, Japan
"The Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred on March 11, 2011. Ceilings fell in many buildings even in Tokyo. Rationing of electricity forced offices to cut back on lighting and air conditioning. Office windows that do not open became a problem," wrote architecture firm Nikken Sekkei. "Co-op Kyosai Plaza integrates the latest in environmental building systems, making the most of the lessons learned after the earthquake."
GLF Headquarters, Miami, United States of America
"Transparency and simplicity were key elements in this office complex, situated near the Miami River," wrote Oppenheim Architecture. "The concept was to create an upscale office environment with large floor plates that would provide the user with flexibility and evoke the feeling of open space. Unmistakably distinct from neighboring structures, the building serves as an architectural inspiration to the area, while the design itself draws inspiration from its adjacent context - citing both the inherent industrial and nautical overtones of the location and the heavy civil roots of the end-user."
GS1 Portugal, Lisbon, Portugal
"This campus, which is one of the first in Portugal specifically created for business innovation, is located on the surroundings of an 18th-century farmhouse on the boundaries of the city and was planned in the early 1970s based on an orthogonal grid largely inspired in the Anglo-Saxon university model," wrote architecture firm Promontorio.
Pollen Street Office, Auckland, New Zealand
"This building is part of an urban regeneration retail and office project in the fashionable shopping precinct of Ponsonby Road, consisting of a new office as the final stage of a shopping, food and beverage and office precinct, accessed from three bordering streets and rear laneways, as well as car parking and servicing facilities," wrote RTA Studio.
Sanctuary Office, Bangalore, India
"Knotted Pine, Sheet metal, Grey Cement Concrete flooring along with white working surfaces and GI form the core earthy backdrop to the otherwise colourful work environment," wrote Sanctuary Architects and Designers.
490 Consulting Suites, Spring Hill, Australia
"Whilst the scale of the development on a small site with an existing cottage is unprecedented, in this instance the design seeks to mediate between the original intimate scale of Spring Hill and the more recent bulky and major urban developments in this precinct," wrote Shane Thompson Architects.
Sonnesgade 11, Aarhus, Denmark
"The new mixed building by SLETH is situated nearby Godsbanen and reflects the transformation from industry to lively cultural urban district," wrote architecture firm SLETH. "The starting point for the design of the new office building is an ambition to reuse and rethink spatial and material quality on the former industrial site. The new building is directly grounded on the original underground industrial constructions, which acts as the building’s foundation."
Guilherme Torres Studio, São Paulo, Brazil
"The main idea reflects the spirit of the 21st century, that is to be multidisciplinary and go beyond the architecture and design that Studio Guilherme Torres is already known for," wrote archicture firm Studio Guilherme Torres. "Therefore, the space was designed to allow new creations and projects."
Headquarters of Wrzesińskie of News, Września, Poland
"The form of a three-storeyed building was determined by its functional program as well as a low budget," wrote Ultra Architects. "Terrace-shaped silhouette is an answer to different needs of publishing house’s various activities. At the same time reduction of surface and optimization of functional program let us to reduce costs of investment."
Port House, Antwerp, Belgium
Zaha Hadid Architects
"The new Port House in Antwerp repurposes, renovates and extends a derelict fire station into a new headquarters for the port – bringing together the port’s 500 staff that previously worked in separate buildings around the city," wrote Zaha Hadid Architects. " Following the construction of a new fire station, the old station – a listed replica of a Hanseatic residence – became redundant. This disused fire station had to be integrated into the new project."
