Uber Seattle Workplace
Pacific Northwest-inspired workplace design for Uber's Seattle engineering headquarters
Overview
When Uber expanded its Seattle engineering headquarters at the Second and Seneca Building, Interior Architects was engaged to design a multi-floor workplace that felt distinctly Pacific Northwest without falling into cliché. The EGD program was mine to lead from concept through installation: five floors, each themed around a natural element, unified into a single experiential design system. The office opened in May 2019 to an audience of nearly 500 employees and was featured in GeekWire upon opening.
Challenge
Design a cohesive, floor-by-floor EGD program for a major tech company's flagship engineering office — five distinct floors, each requiring its own spatial identity while reading as a unified whole. The design had to feel authentically regional, elevate Uber's brand, and land at a level of craft worthy of a company about to go public.
Solution
The conceptual framework — five Pacific Northwest elements assigned to five floors — gave the project both structure and creative freedom. Floor 8 — Wood: A custom book wall installation treated hundreds of individual books as architectural surface material, art directed across multiple fabrication shop visits. A typographic quote overlays the texture of the pages — legibility balanced against the organic richness of the books beneath. Getting the composition right meant being on a ladder in the shop, adjusting page angles until the whole installation read correctly at scale.
Results
Delivered a five-floor EGD system for one of Uber's largest global engineering offices, opening in May 2019 as the company prepared for its IPO. The space was featured in GeekWire upon opening, with the fir tree wood paneling work specifically noted. The opening event drew praise from employees and leadership for the artwork and installations throughout.
Role
Lead experiential graphic designer. Full conceptual development of the five-element floor system, all mural design, book wall concept and art direction, fabrication shop oversight across multiple visits, installation review, and onsite presence at opening.
Press
GeekWire (May 2019)
Photos
