5 cool Bangkok offices we'd sign up for in a heartbeat
From free personal trainers to cafés, galleries and even a museum, here are Bangkok's most wondrous workplaces. (And here are some more.)
10 years ago
CMO Group
MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY
SERMKHUN KUNAWONG, CEO
What inspired you to create this office?
Our previous office, located in Town in Town, was so dense, with more than 200 staff inside. So I decided to move to a wider open space which was already home to my Bangkok Sculpture Center. I want my staff to feel the wind and see the sun. We even have 30 bikes for staff to cycle around three offices: CMO [event organizer], The Eye [multimedia production] and PM [concert production]. We also invited the famous Chinese restaurant Je-Ngor Kitchen to open a café here.
What are the employees’ favorite spots in the office?
One must be the fitness center, where we also provide a personal trainer for free. Next would be the music studio, ping-pong tables and Town Hall, which is an open-air office space dotted with couches and bean bags and surrounded by glass houses of small offices. On the second floor, above Town Hall we have Bangkok Sculpture Center, where there are more than 200 masterpiece sculptures. Outside, there are giant sculptures from famous artists like Wasinburee Supanichvoraparch and Alex Face. Our staff love to create events in the office to bring everyone together such as pingpong tournaments or parties, for which we hire DJs.
Why do you consider this important?
As we are a creative company, humans are our most important resource. The well-being of our staff is so important. The office is where they spend most of their time, so they should be happy while working.
Location: Nuanchan Soi 56
Space: 19,200 sqm
Staff: 500 people
Designed by: Dr. Chalay Kunawong, Ongsa Architects
Budget: B500 million
DBALP Jam Factory
ARCHITECTURE PRACTICE
DUANGRIT BUNNAG, FOUNDER
What inspired you to create this office?
My old office was really crowded, with only 500 square meters of space, but I needed 1,000 square meters. Our new place is double that. I didn’t really have a big idea for this place. Transforming it has been like a dance for me. I just saw the possibilities as I went. As an architect I create the future. This space is an old factory, so I started changing it into a multi-function venue called The Jam Factory. I changed the dry battery factory into the office and then added other things I wanted to have in the compound: a restaurant [Never Ending Summer], a bookshop [Candide], a gallery, a showroom for Anyroom furniture shop and a café [Any Café]. As it’s really old, renovating was pretty hard. I tried to use old materials as much as I could, though.
Were your staff happy moving from the city center to Thonburi?
I was afraid at first but it turned out that most of them were excited. After moving, they formed a bicycle gang, riding to work or touring around town together. Our lifestyle has completely changed to an outdoor life. As The Jam Factory has become more popular, many events have been held here like movie festivals or art exhibitions, so the staff can enjoy all these. Their favorite spot is the courtyard in the middle, where they love to sit and enjoy the atmosphere. To keep them inspired, I also invite interesting speakers like [DJ and ex-Bangkok Governor candidate] Suharit Siamwalla and Pod Moderndog [Thanachai Ujjin] to give talks.
What impact do you feel a good workspace can have on staff members’ lives?
I recently read a study about mirror neurons in neuroscience. It says that humans are affected by things surrounding them, like if they are watching car race from an in-car camera, they will feel excited, as if they are in that car. I think that our space is lively and has a good energy.
Location: Klongsan Pier
Space: 2,000 sqm
Staff: 100 people
Designed by: DBALP
Budget: B24 million
The Post Bangkok
POST-PRODUCTION COMPANY
SUCHADA SOMASACHAI, PRESIDENT
What inspired you to create this office?
We are a post-production company so I didn’t want my office to be boring. I designed it based on my personal preferences growing up in a shophouse. With lots of steel and concrete, it eventually became a factory-like house in a rustic-industrial style. Our work relates to creativity. Staff need to work for long periods, at least 10 hours a day here, so I wanted to create a space where they feel as relaxed as at home, allowing their thoughts to flow in a warm and friendly atmosphere.
What are your employees’ favorite spots in the office?
Our factory-like lobby is popular with everyone, customers and staff. It’s both a relaxing place and a workplace where they can sit, work and talk at the cafe. It’s open 24/7. All drinks here are free. We just opened a fitness center where you can do cardio, yoga, weight training and boxing.
What other perks are there to working here?
Apart from free meals at the café, I try to organize special activities for our staff once or twice a year. At New Year, we even closed the road in front of our office for a party. As we’re a multi-national workspace, 25 percent of our 160 staff is foreign, so we also have special facilities to accommodate religious diversity. Our work is quite stressful and these people are talented artists, so we need to make sure they love our organization and are happy.
Location: Soi Sriwara, Town in Town
Space: 4,000 sqm
Staff: 150 people
Designed by: Suchada Somasachai
Budget: B30 million
Apostrophy’S
DESIGN AGENCY
PANTAVIT LAWAPOUNGCHOK,
MANAGING AND DESIGN DIRECTOR
What inspired you to create this office?
Our staff has to work under high pressure but our old office in RCA was just an office block. It affected our efficiency. I decided to transform a townhouse into a homey office with wooden furniture and a small garden so staff can sit and work outside. Office design should drive staff members’ inner creativity so that they work passionately and proficiently. We’re now creating a new office in the same neighborhood, called Apos Square, which is more playful, with light steel furniture in colors such as red, blue and yellow.
Does this office increase productivity?
Our staff are clearly happier. Some are more willing to spend time working here than at their own homes. Our productivity has rapidly increased and our growth is up 200-300 percent per year. I also want Apos Square to be like a school for new staff. This is still an experiment but I hope it will pay off.
What else do you provide?
Our culture is to never stop learning. We encourage staff to be open-minded to everything. We have field trips abroad and have often visited Japan. These two-week trips aim to find inspiration and gather new ideas, and Japan is a hotspot for new technology media, which our company is related to. We also encourage our staff to pay attention to each other, so we have a budget for hosting staff parties. We also have thousands of books and movies for them to borrow any time they want.
Location: Ladprao Soi 84
Space: 500-600 sqm
Staff: 18 people
Designed by: Apostrophy’S
Budget: B9 million
Diageo Moet Hennessy
ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGE DISTRIBUTOR
ADSADAPORN UNKONG,
HUMAN RESOURCES DIRECTOR
What inspired you to create this space?
It derives from our company’s slogan, “Celebrating Life, Everyday, Everywhere.” As we are a leading importer and distributor of premium drinks, the office had to fit that brand image. We tried to incorporate our products into an office with a modern and luxurious look. It leaves a good first impression on customers when they come here.
Does this office increase productivity?
Definitely. We strongly believe that the physical work space and a company’s corporate culture can liberate employees’ capabilities. We recently took an Employee Value Survey which showed that 81 percent of staff are happy working here.
What other perks are there to working here?
We have free drinks every Friday night at our private cocktail bar called Sawasdee Bar, mixed by an expert bartender. It’s a great way for them to relax after work. We also have lots of activities to improve staff skills such as our monthly Lunch and Learn event, for which we invite famous speakers such as Jatupol Chompunit to give talks. Last time we even dressed up as Marvel superheroes to celebrate our achievements.
Location: 17-18/F, Empire Tower
Space: 3,200 sqm
Staff: 300 people
Designed by: Orbit Design Studio
Budget: B7.8 million
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