Excite Redwood City, California, USA With the overflow of information, it is close to impossible for the individual to find information one is in search of on the Internet. Hence, “portal business,” that is gathering, organizing, categorizing, and delivering information on the Internet in a manageable way, developed. Excite is one of the pioneers in portal business. The firm, founded in 1994 by six Stanford University students, currently employs 230 and is still expanding rapidly. The design of this office required not only creating a comfortable work environment for employees with various skills and employees gathered as the result of numerous mergers and acquisitions. A work place that stimulated communication and teamwork among the employees was necessary to provide a sense of unity to this group, comprised of specialists from various disciplines, and to welcome new members of Excite to the work and culture of the firm. The central component is the “Homepage” located in the center of the first floor on a platform higher than the surrounding. This is a place where “people stop by first, gather information, and come back to for more information.” Cafes and meeting spaces are located here to encourage employees to squeeze in many casual and quick meetings, which is an important part of Excite’s corporate culture. The office is laid out so that the attention is geared towards the center. The workstations are located around the “Homepage” and server room, and closed offices are on the perimeter. Employees are allotted workspaces not by rank but by preference for their work. For instance, engineers prefer shared open spaces, while editors and journalists prefer private spaces.           Location: Redwood City, California, USA     Move-In Date: 2001     Floor Area: 88,000 ft2 (8,200 m2)     Workforce: 230     Building Design: Studios Architecture     Interior Design: N/A     Interview Date: 1998.6