Malaysia's Coolest Offices Prove Working in One Doesn't Have to Be Soulless

Working with the right people and for an organisation that shares your core values aren't the only factors that affect your productivity. Physical space also influences one's headspace, so much so that we've spent lots of money and hours trying to build our own little workspaces at home during the health crisis.

As organisations continue to shift to a hybrid setup, finding oneself back in the confines of an office is just a matter of asking the question, "When?" Before you lament this fate, however, know that offices aren't always soulless and boring. These offices are some of the coolest in Malaysia and prove that working in an office doesn't always have to be a chore. With the right features, design, and atmosphere, the office can be a conducive space for you that sparks not just productivity but also joy.

Google Malaysia 

When people think about the dream office, the usual peg is Google. Its headquarters in Mountain View, California, which often makes the lists of coolest and most beautiful offices in the world, is known as the Googleplex and is designed as more of like a university campus than your typical corporate office. Its cool amenities and perks that Googlers in California enjoy are also experienced by Googlers the world over.

Google Malaysia's office in Kuala Lumpur also exhibits its own flavour "Googleyness," such as unique and open architecture, a café, swings, an amphitheatre, colourful meeting rooms, arcade games, breakout spaces, a juice and snack bar, and more.

The office was designed by interior design company M Moser Associates.

Location: Google Malaysia, Level 20, Axiata Tower, 9, Jalan Stesen Sentral 5, Kuala Lumpur

M Moser Associates

The very company behind the many beautiful offices and spaces in Asia, Europe, Australia, and elsewhere has to make this list. M Moser Associates' Kuala Lumpur office at the Vista Tower within the Intermark Mall development sure is a cool space, as it just happens to be Malaysia's first ever RESET-certified interior. It follows in the footsteps of its offices in New York, London, and Hong Kong, which have achieved the certification for air quality excellence. It also boasts of a stylish, colourful space with large windows to let natural light in. Potted plants also dot M Moser Associates' Kuala Lumpur office, which give off a fresh and vibrant atmosphere.

Location: M Moser Associates, Suite 22A, Level 22, Vista Tower, The Intermark, 348 Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur

Mindvalley

Mindvalley, founded by Vishen Lakhiani, is a learning experience and personal growth company dedicated to helping people transform to be the best version of themselves. It has locations in Tallinn, Estonia, in cities like Los Angeles, Miami, San Diego, and New York in the United States, and in Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia.

Its Kuala Lumpur office has been regarded for its purposive and creative design and was voted by Inc. Magazine in 2019 as among the Top Ten World's Most Beautiful Offices. It is inspired by a kids' jungle gym, the glass-and-steel office has cool features like napping pods and pull-up bars so staff can keep fit and healthy. Its offices' glass windows were also inspired by the stained glass of Gaudi's Sagrada Familiar church in Barcelona, Spain, and allows sunlight in to produce beautiful, colourful shadows. 

Location: Mindvalley,  Kuala Lumpur

Lyreco Malaysia

Global office supplies distributor Lyreco's corporate location in Johor just had to make this list. The office was designed by DAA Design Associates in Johor Bahru and bagged the Atap Design Awards in 2022 for its engaging space that blends work, rest, and play.

According to Atap, Malaysian's foremost platform for space improvement and renovation, Lyreco office's blue elements give the space contemporary positive doses rather than the actual blues. With an area of 8,000 square foot, the office has an open-plan design so employees would not feel stifled, and features an extensive lounge, a communal space for games like foosball and Jenga to foster work-life balance and closer relationships among employees. 

Location: Lyreco Malaysia, No. 68, Jalan i-Park SAC 8, Taman Perindustrian i-Park SAC, 81400 Senai, Johor