Set in Portland’s downtown National Landmark First National Bank building, built in 1916, Expensify’s new offices reflect the company’s signature “choose-your-own-adventure” work setting. Since Expensify does not own the building, the design accounts for both the grandeur of the existing interiors and the realities of the lease term.
Each area of the sky-lit four-story Art Deco atrium functions as a workplace. Seating is unassigned, conference rooms are unbookable, and employees choose where to sit depending on their task or mood. The main floor includes a kitchen and a living room area and a custom 41-foot communal table. Upstairs, the boardroom channels a mid-century aesthetic, and a speakeasy-style salon. On the third floor, an oak wood village, reminiscent of Scandinavian building techniques and style, offers community and individual seating for private calls and heads-down work.
A set of floating conference rooms located opposite and above the bank’s main entrance staircase references the building’s historic details. Visitors walk up a flight of oak stairs to find in front of them a detailed blackened steel, wood and glass staircase, connecting the different levels of the existing building. The staircase is flanked by two brass-clad, glass-enclosed work spaces, topped with open work areas.