Office Design

On a Roll

RealNetworks (RNWK)
Seattle
Employees: about 850

Designer: Zimmer, Gunsel, Frasca Architects
Completed: 2005

RealNetworks completed a renovation of its Seattle headquarters two years ago, when Portland (Ore.)-based Zimmer Gunsel Frasca Architects installed a spacious atrium with a cafeteria, kitchen, and foosball and Ping-Pong tables. But the favorite break room for many employees remains the bowling alley, which has been around since just after the company moved in, in 1998. It was the idea of CEO Rob Glaser, who also happens to be a big investor in the Pro Bowlers Assn. The three-lane alley is no executive perk: All employees are free to bowl from 5:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. on weekdays and all through the weekends. Alan Kipis, vice-president for operations, says whole departments within the company frequently show up to throw spares and strikes together.

"Does the bowling alley by itself affect productivity? Maybe," he says. "But it's part of the overall variety of fun things that help people at work—and when they are here, it helps break the stress." With this in mind, RealNetworks has also considered what it might do to facilitate interaction during the workday. Kipis says the company has been "pricing out" possible plans for more open spaces with fewer walls between workstations.