Corporate towns of the future

LOGICAL: FOLLOWING COMPANY WORK CAMPUSES

It may take corporations to build villages that use all benefits of technology. Arthur Goldstuck

Sprawling and futuristic corporate campuses have become a norm from Silicon Valley to Shenzen, but the people working there still have to commute back to their very ordinary homes at the end of the working day.

However, it doesn’t take too much of a stretch of the imagination for these corporations to expand their business infrastructure into entire lifestyles for their workers. That is the concept behind a visionary exercise undertaken by mortgage experts at Bankrate UK. These are their most fascinating visions:

OCADO

With their robot-run factories and ambitious environmental goals, a town created by the world’s first online supermarket Ocado would be the perfect combination of eco-friendliness and futuristic thinking.

The town would feature an extensive grid system, allowing for all deliveries to be made by robot postal workers and delivery drones. Large eco domes would house exotic plants, fruits and vegetables.

Employees and their families would only farm and consume the exact amount they required.

Employees’ homes would be environmentally low impact and built from a mixture of recycled waste and bamboo. Plants grown on the roofs would help to regulate temperature and produce oxygen, while large windows would reduce the need for internal lights and lower electricity usage.

TESLA

Eco-friendly, attractive and extremely functional, the town would be 100% electric and powered by solar roof tiles and geothermal heat and wind.

Musk’s Boring Company tunnels would connect all areas of the town, allowing residents to speed away on sledges. The latest Gigafactory would stand in the town centre, providing easy access to the thousands of employees living onsite.

A SpaceX launch facility would provide additional opportunities for advancing their space exploration programme.

All homes would come with the most up-to-date Tesla technology including supercharger stations, solar roof panels and Powerwalls.

Living walls would blend futuristic design and nature, ensuring each home benefits from purified air, ambient temperatures and noise reduction.

SWEATY BETTY

With female empowerment at the heart of the company’s ethos and inspired by the brand’s roots in Notting Hill, a Sweaty Betty company town would be a riot of bright colours, with wellbeing at its core.

Set around a man-made lake and sandy beach, the town centre would have a relaxed vibe where employees and their families could live, work and relax in harmony. An onsite creche would provide stress-free childcare, delivering a better work-life balance for all.

Fitness would be evident in all aspects of town living, with unlimited access to classes and activities, while cycle routes would replace main roads throughout, allowing for a safe pedestrianised town where staying active is easy.

As a nod to founder Tamara Hill-Norton’s motto: “Life would be boring if it wasn’t a mix of green juice and cocktails”, a beach-side juice bar would provide nutritious smoothies and snacks by day, before transforming into a cocktail bar after hours.

Residents would live in a mixture of apartments and townhouses. Floor to ceiling windows would flood the homes with natural light, while abundant plants would ensure the essence of outdoor living continues indoors.

IKEA

Simple, straightforward and down-to-earth, a town designed by Ikea would be firmly rooted in the company’s Smålandic heritage, with a strong focus on community and togetherness.

Surrounded by woodland, the town’s centre would sit around a large open square, with an abundance of amenities including a gym, activity centre and a Småland creche, providing free childcare for all residents.

Inspired by their most-sold piece of furniture, the Billy Bookshop would sit alongside their subsidised coffee shop, Fika.

The BoKlok employee homes would embody true Scandinavian design, featuring high ceilings and large windows, creating bright and airy homes.

In line with their Tack retirement plan, long-serving co-workers would be encouraged to continue living in the community long after retirement.