Selling a record-breaking £75 billion bricks in 2016, Lego is officially the world’s most popular brand. Such is its popularity that Lego mini figures now outnumber humans on the planet. Staggered by its enduring appeal, I went to visit the Lego Headquarters to find out how this plastic fantastic trend translates into their workplace design. As cool office spaces go – this one was a brick too far.
Innovative workplace design at Lego
Whisked out of the lifts, my heart races as the distinctive Lego brand swings into view. Entering the reception area, the interior screams yellow – from the ceilings to the floors to the signature yellow brick spiral staircase, it’s all on-message and dazzlingly bright. Gripped by a wave of nostalgia, I have a sudden flash back of me storming through a sea of bricks strewn the length of the living carpet in a post-apocalyptic plastic meltdown.
Huge sculptures of penguins, Star Wars figures and a replica, red brick telephone box add a dash of madcap novelty to the reception. I can’t imagine how many hours of pains-taking construction went into each work. Intricate attention to detail is abundant across the office layout: from the funky pendant lights that swing like spaceships to the Lego skyline that perfectly replicates the view of the City laid out before us.
Re-imagining the City skyline
The skyline highlights just how far Lego products have come in recent times when you can now have a crack at constructing the Burj Khalifa or surf the Artificial Intelligence wave by creating your very own programmable robot.
The Lego corporate atmosphere
As you’d expect, the corporate atmosphere is chilled with t-shirts and jeans replacing the stuffy suits and ties that predominate in the neighbouring office blocks. Employees have regular “play days” to encourage innovation and experimentation. Despite its enduring success, Lego is not a company to rest on its laurels and every year the company starts at zero to recapture the interest of each child and make the brand exciting for them.
With 2017 marking the highest revenues in Lego’s 85-year history, the company has plans to expand its current office space in the City with more ingenuous brick-inspired workplace design to come. But will the robots replace the penguins and telephone boxes? Whatever happens in the brave new office world, the brick is here to stay.