For smartphone fans and technology lovers all over the world, it can be difficult to remember that there’s a company of people, values and tradition behind these pieces of glass and plastic we carry around in our pockets. Motorola might be a company that’s had a shaky couple of years, and while it’s now owned by a Chinese company, that doesn’t make the rich, American tradition that Motorola has any less important. The company recently moved into a new headquarters in Chicago, the city in which Motorola was founded as Galvin Manufacturing Corporation over 80 years ago. Motorola has been kind enough to show us all a peek inside their new headquarters.
The company’s new headquarters encompasses the top four floors of the iconic Merchandise Mart found beside the Chicago River and it takes up 600,000 square feet, with 75,000 of that being for lab space to work on new products. The new headquarters is now home to 2,000 Motorola employees and despite their new owners, Motorola have definitely given their new digs a “Google feel”, while mixing the traditional building with a technological feel you might expect from Motorola. There are nine microkitchens, each with its own theme, a games room and of course, a rooftop plaza. What smartphone company would be complete without a rooftop plaza?
The new headquarters certainly look the part and now that the company has a permanent home perhaps the company can put themselves firmly back on the map in 2014. Having a place to call “home” is important for any company and inspires morale in employees and faith in a company’s future. Once you set down roots, it effectively says you’re in it for the long haul, after all. With lab space, complete with 3D-printing machines, the new headquarters will be the company’s central hub with new smartphones being developers and prototyped as well as marketing, sales and more all being handled in one building. You can take a look at the new space in the photos below. Let us know what you think of Motorola’s new digs in the comments below.
