The brief was simple - create a design that applied the Airbnb values of belonging, hospitality and host empowerment to the modern call center.

We started with internal research on our employees work style and habits - we needed to understand the needs and routines of the people who would be using this space.

We used the results of our research to re-engineer the modern call center, right down to designing bespoke furniture based on the most common use of time and most commonly performed tasks.

We worked with Portland-based manufacturers to build desks, seating and storage - and engaged our employees to decorate conference rooms in an effort to create ownership and pride in the final design.

We designed a call center without cubicles, desks or phones. Airbnb Portland now serves as a living embodiment of the importance of sharing, hospitality and design to the world of Airbnb - demonstrating that the way we treat our employees is just as important as the way we treat our travelers.

Employees in Portland occupy less space, more efficiently and productively that employees in traditional call centers - employee satisfaction has also increased since opening our new space.

The audience for our Portland Call Center was entirely internal - we needed to design a space to inspire the hospitality and humanity of our Portland-based Customer Experience staff by creating a workspace that placed as much of a premium on design as it did on productivity.

Airbnb believes in a world where you can Belong Anywhere. We brought this vision to life by applying it to an environment that typically doesn't provide a great deal of belonging to people - the call center - and by literally re-imagining what a modern workspace should look like.