As the first new workplace designed to fully align with LinkedIn’s future vision, LinkedIn’s Omaha, Nebraska offices were designed as a fully dynamic work environment, with 200,000 square feet of non-assigned, team-based neighborhoods and a host of new space types meant to support entirely new ways of working. The project sought to rethink not only the way people work, but also incorporated large sustainable goals and diverse supplier inclusion - from art to community engagement to kickstarting the tech industry in Omaha. 

This new facility replaced a legacy office with typical assigned workstations and limited amenities. Rather than the old, one-size-fits-all seating strategy of the past, teams are assigned to neighborhoods within the building that contain a variety of work settings, from spaces that support individual focus and privacy to spaces that support small-group collaboration and brainstorming. 

At the neighborhood intersections, and aligned with key entry points for seamless wayfinding, areas we call “railcars” provide individual and team storage elements, impromptu team space, enclosed meeting rooms, phone booths, and other shared resources. More importantly, these spaces serve as welcoming front doors to each neighborhood, providing an orientation point, a cultural heart for team tchotchkes, and a space for shifting one’s mind set into work. It was important that the project reflected the local community and brought people together, so a community center open for public use was included. 

Throughout the building, key resources are distributed to encourage employee wellbeing with an emphasis on movement, neurodiversity, fresh air, access to light, and a host of supportive new space types. Respite rooms are new, tech-free spaces with ambient light and sound that support creative, calm, or active ways to reset one’s state of mind. New deep focus spaces provide distraction-free heads-down spaces, while a golf simulator brings teams together for some friendly competition. 

Being both LEED Gold and 2 Star Fitwel certified, the LinkedIn Omaha campus breathes sustainable design and wellness from the inside out. LinkedIn posed a challenge to the design team aptly named the “Woodchuck Challenge” to minimize the use of all new wood on their projects. The end result was that 52% of all wood in the project was reclaimed (the rest FSC certified), setting the standard for all new Linkedin builds. In keeping with their lofty sustainability goals, the LinkedIn culinary portfolio was carried to the future with a fully electric kitchen. The additional power required by the all-electric kitchen is offset by the on-site solar arrays, which generate 13% of the entire building’s energy.