When Slack asked O+A to create a new multi-floor headquarters in San Francisco one design story presented itself immediately. Slack’s CEO is an avid outdoorsman, a hiker who goes off grid every year to recharge in wilderness environments. One of his goals for the space was that it generate the kind of cooperative spirit and resourcefulness he knew from interactions with fellow hikers. Our solution was to create a floor-by-floor evocation of the landscapes that make up the Pacific Crest Trail—desert, mountains, forest—in effect to turn a trip up the elevator into a virtual trip from Baja to the Pacific Northwest. The idea was to suggest not just a variety of topographical and botanical contexts, but to capture, as well, the experiential links between hiking a wilderness trail—and work.

To replicate indoors the distinctly outdoor experience of hiking a trail our team of designers chose a succession of finishes and palettes that subtly suggest changing landscapes. They also structured the space to emphasize irregular paths of travel, opportunities for surprise and amenities with the inclusive spontaneity of a campsite.