Dog treats and toys manufacturer Bark has designed its office in a way that meets the needs of its main end-users: dogs. The company, known for its dog toy and treat subscription service, BarkBox, has a very liberal policy that allows employees to bring their dogs to work. Its new headquarters in New York City takes this approach to the extreme.
In addition to stacks of dog toys, cabinets filled with treats, leash hooks on desks, and nooks designed for pet lounging, this office has a unique feature: an on-site dog park. The park is equipped with a central climbable plinth, a small tunnel, a ball pit and plenty of seating for dog owners. It's just one of several features designed to make the office especially dog-friendly.
Bark co-founder Henrik Werdelin explains that the space was specifically designed to accommodate both animals and people. It's not just an office with a few dog-related touches. In collaboration with architecture firm MKDA, Werdelin sought to create an optimized environment for both of them to enjoy together. This is embodied in cubicle-like corners where humans and dogs can work and rest together, enclosed areas for dogs where they can roam freely, and a cafeteria space for both human and canine social interaction.
The office also fulfills its function as a workplace, with space for 250 people that includes conventional desks, workstations and meeting rooms, along with the aforementioned nooks and cushy spaces. The standout feature, however, is the dog park, which occupies over 1,200 square feet of the property in a prominent corner of the total floor space.
However, this is not the company's first project. In 2018, Bark opened an outdoor dog park in Nashville, exclusively for affiliate members. The park featured a wide green field, a cafeteria that needed human drinks and dog treats, as well as a covered picnic area. However, earlier this year, the park closed its doors.
"We learned a lot from that experience when we built our indoor dog park," Werdelin says. A key feature of his design were the seats, an idea proposed by the company's creative director, Mikkel Holm, who previously worked at Lego. "He said that successful playgrounds have comfortable seats for parents, who have been there for a long time," Werdelin says.
In addition, Werdelin mentions that dogs also spend a large part of the day napping, so it is just as common to see dogs playing and running happily in the park as they are asleep in one of the work areas. They may even meet in one of the conference rooms. With white walls and a video conference room like ambiance of any modern office, even if a dog was present, it wouldn't show up on camera.
One of the main concerns in a dog-centric work environment is waste. Werdelin explains that the space was designed using materials that would not be damaged if a dog decided to relieve himself in the space. Pointing his laptop camera down, he shows the polished concrete floors that stretch throughout the space. "These are floors that not only look great, but are also easy to clean. Not all floors need to be plastic to do that."
Werdelin says that the company, like many others, is adjusting to the hybrid work style that has emerged in the wake of the pandemic, which has led to fewer people in the office. Some teams, like product developers, use more space than others, like company engineers. This reduced occupancy makes it easy to dedicate a considerable part of the space to dogs, and a dog-themed library has even been created with a secret seating area behind a hidden door.
Office fun isn't just limited to canines, though. Werdelin says the employees also enjoy spending time in the park as much as the dogs do, and even use some of the play areas, like the ball pit, for their own amusement. "That, honestly, is more for humans," he adds.
