Coolest Offices in Manila: Globe Telecom

(SPOT.ph) The Globe Tower made its mark on the Bonifacio Global City skyline last year, with its distinctly sharp-edged facade and slanted form. Designed by Jojo Tolentino of Aidea Philippines, the 28-storey tower houses over 4,000 employees and is right smack at the heart of the business district. While the building's form itself may be outwardly future-centric-it’s patterned after the cellular signal you find on your mobile phone-its core remains committed to keeping things sustainable. The LEED-certified building may be wired to the hilt, but it is also as clean and green as most modern architecture goes.

The lobby continues with the sharp-edged theme of the building's facade, banking on slanted diagonals and sharp corners. With a 7-meter high ceiling, it is one of the tallest lobbies in BGC. A staircase leads up to a second-floor loft, while the lower stairs takes visitors to a communal space used for events as well as to a private art gallery.

The top floor provides a chic roof deck surrounding the president and senior executive's offices. Wooden floor boards, lounge furniture and verdant greens dot the veranda, providing the company's head honchos some respite during the day. In keeping with the telco's commitment to full functionality, the slanted walls integrate rainwater collection and irrigation with the design.

The 9th to 28th floors house employees' workstations, which do run the risk of turning into cubicle farms for most buildings. Globe does away with this by creating themed break areas on each floor. An informal space where collaboration, shared meals, and social interaction takes place, these areas are inspired by different parts of the globe. In keeping with the brand, employees are able to travel the world (even just in theory). Conference rooms too, carry the same theme and are named after cities and destinations all over.

Places like Times Square (complete with a New York City fire hydrant), a beach lounge (surfboard, included!) and an African Safari (with stuffed monkeys and snakes hanging from the ceiling) are present.

A fun detail that reigns supreme in all floors is the concept of dots on a map, connecting you to different places (think flight path for an airline). Found in hallways, walls, and even elevator lobbies, the distinct theme brings a unifying and iconic look to all the passageways of the building.

Function is also made more fun with all the wiring and connectivity equipment being housed in posts decorated with icons-all having to do with the technology associated with Globe. Photos, messaging, phone calls, and email all speak to the connectivity that is at the heart of the brand. The visual images give an otherwise plain looking detail a little pop of fun.

What would a tech hub be without a service center? The 19th floor doesn't just house an after-sales service counter, it also offers a fully staffed clinic and pharmacy (an actual annex of neighboring hospital, St. Luke's), moms’ room, prayer room, its own BPI banking center, and the Globe boutique (pictured in the round display on the left side of the photo) carrying merchandise.

The 8th floor, labeled "Taste," carries a huge array of food choices as well as the top-selling Starbucks in BGC. Employees cart around GCash, using the service to pay for everything from coffee to cafeteria food.

Employee perks also include a full basketball and volleyball court, a professionally staffed gym, as well as access to discounts at Hungry Hound and Niner Ichi Nana on the ground floor.

While Globe Tower hinges on technology and all the speed and forward-movement, every space caters to connecting people-not a bad thing when it comes to a company founded on reaching the world.

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