The London skyline is home to a number of iconic towers and buildings boasting unusual features. The Shard, the "Gherkin" and Strata are all instantly recognisable skyscrapers which complement the well-known sights of the London Eye and Canary Wharf.
However, it's inside the buildings that some truly ground-breaking and downright weird office spaces are being constructed. In this article we take a quick look at 5 of the most unusual.
Innovation Labs at Engine
Communications experts Engine boast one of the weirdest office spaces you'll see this side of the Atlantic.
One breakout area even features spinning, padded waltzers which are designed for brainstorming sessions and to stimulate creativity!
The other Engine office innovations include translucent display screens which serve a dual purpose - by day they filter sunlight and reveal an inner pattern, while at night they glow brightly, providing visual appeal from inside and out.
However, there are also other, more restrained meeting areas which feature circular clusters of seats, interchangeable arrangements of furniture and tiered seating.
YouTube
Tech companies are famed for their lack of conventional offices (Apple being a notable exception to the rule), and YouTube's London headquarters is no different.
There are areas designated for filming (complete with green screen backgrounds), a "Walk of Fame" that showcases some of the most iconic and memorable videos posted to the service, and even a cinema for the workers.
Other meeting spaces feature futuristic doors and curved walls, or exposed wooden partitions which give a warehouse feel. With vibrant colours and weirdness at every turn, this is definitely a unique environment.
Mind Candy
Best known as the creators of the Moshi Monsters, Mind Candy has suitably themed areas within its office space.
Imagine meeting in a wooden tree house, or a gingerbread house! The spaces are designed to stimulate creativity, and can even resemble hobbit holes.
Their ethos is to get Mind Candy's workers to think like children and the interactive environments, colouring in spaces and dazzling designs certainly aid this process.
Mother
London advertising agency Mother has a rather different approach to the open plan office idea - it seats every single one of its workers at the same, vast desk! To add to the difference, the desk is made from concrete and is designed to promote conversation and shared working between colleagues, removing the normal barriers that can exist in siloed spaces.
It certainly wouldn't work in every office environment, but it appears to suit Mother very well.
Innocent
Drinks company Innocent have a really unusual approach to meeting spaces and shared working environments - a double height office space filled with artificial grass, picnic tables and bunting!
Designed by Stiff and Trevillion, the intention was to create a village communal area, to make workers feel at ease and part of a shared community.
With British telephone boxes, games tables and booths dotted about, their office combines fun with productivity and interaction.
