Zillow Group Inc. (Nasdaq: ZG) has about 380 employees in Orange County and not a single office at its three-floor, 63,000-square-foot space off Michelson Drive in Irvine.
However, the Seattle-based real estate tech giant has two cafés stocked with snacks, game and exercise rooms complete with yoga mats, a massage chair and treadmill work stations; a cozy library with lounge seating for quiet reflection, and a plethora of meeting nooks and conference rooms.
The amenities are a result of a year-long renovation that included expanding to the 10th floor and refreshing décor on 11th and 12th floors.
Gensler’s Newport Beach team was tasked with creating an overall ambience that’s “reflective of the laid-back, fun, and cool SoCal vibe.”
Walls adorned with reclaimed barn wood planks complement walkways reminiscent of a beach boardwalk, complete with skating and bike lanes. The elevator lobbies feature white shiplap finish and porch lights that “look like you have entered the front door of a friend’s house,” said Gensler’s design director Jaimelynn Shah.
Zillow employees have added their own touch to the space with a row of framed T-shirts commemorating the company’s biannual hackathons, said Justin LaJoie, vice president of product development at Zillow Offers, the company’s home-selling division. He refrained from disclosing how much Zillow invested in the renovations, noting that having a new space helps with recruiting.
“Absolutely―a lot of people when you show them the office―they’re just impressed.”
Zillow Group’s online consumer brands combine to serve as one of the largest real estate and rental marketplaces in the nation. Its flagship Zillow and sister website Trulia primarily focus—alongside competitors such as Redfin and Realtor.com—on selling leads to real estate agents in specific markets. Zillow collects leads by providing consumers data from more than 700 Multiple Listing Services throughout the U.S., including properties on and off the market, foreclosures, and sales by owner.
The group’s Naked Apartments and StreetEasy are dedicated to New York City’s rentals and residences for sale, respectively, while HotPads provides rental listings across the nation.
See Special Report for more, starts on page 17.
