Paul Carduner, site lead of Facebook's Seattle office, confirmed Wednesday they will move from their current offices in Denny triangle to a larger space off Dexter Ave., designed by famous architect Frank Gehry.
"We're committed to Seattle," Carduner said.
The new space will include 274,000 square feet, with the option of an additional 62,000 feet that will allow Facebook to eventually employ over 2,000 people in Seattle.
The interior will be designed by Frank Gehry, the architect who designed Seattle's Experience Music Project.
Facebook is moving into an existing building on Dexter in early 2016, so don't expect any new, amorphous structures popping up in SLU anytime soon. Still, Carduner said Gehry's office design will make for a unique flow within the office.
"It will dictate how people can move between spaces," he said.
Facebook's current office employs 500 people in 96,000 square feet. The layout and environment live up to the lore: open offices, people standing at their desks, free dry cleaning, a hot tub filled with ball-pit balls, a cafeteria overlooking South Lake Union and an actual, physical Facebook wall with the signatures of people like Jay Inslee and the Nordstroms.
Facebook Seattle works on the site's data storage and video capabilities, and frequently collaborates with Microsoft; Facebook-owned virtual reality bastion Oculus, which has a Redmond office; and many of Seattle's other smaller tech firms.
Although Carduner said Facebook's hiring spree won't happen right away, he was so confident in his office's expansion that he mentioned the possibility of another move in ten years.
"We built our own building in Menlo Park, so it's possible we would build here as well," he said. For Seattle area techies, that gets a big 'Like.'
