A Breath of Fresh Air at Bandwidth

Founded in 1999, Bandwidth is a publicly traded global communications technology company, offering cloud-based software for voice, messaging, and emergency services. Through the nature of their business, Bandwidth understands the power of human connection. Their headquarters was built to be the company’s version of ancient Athens: a hub for culture, community, and innovation that brings people together.

The sprawling 40-acre campus was designed with every decision grounded in nature and Bandwidth’s Whole Person Promise. Centered on the belief that people can only do their best work when they’re supported in mind, body, and spirit, the Whole Person Promise is Bandwidth’s commitment to each person they hire.

“If your people are not whole, you cannot accomplish your mission,” says Rebecca Bottorff, Bandwidth’s Chief People Officer. “Through our culture, we promise our employees that they can have both meaningful work and a full life at Bandwidth.”

Set among the beauty of the regional landscape, the Bandwidth campus extends an open invitation to step outside. Trails wind through native plants. A central pond anchors gathering spaces and an amphitheater. Shaded porches blur the line between indoors and out. Here, nature provides the infrastructure for work, life, and well-being.

The main headquarters building is also inspired by and drawn from the land's topography. Inside the 450,000 square-foot office you’ll find a spectrum of settings for work and restoration—all with warm woods, abundant daylight, soft curves, and organic textures that create a comforting environment and a connection to nature.

Bandwidth’s vision rested on elevating everyday activities into moments of connection for their current and future “Bandmates” (the company’s employee moniker). The result is a campus designed to support a community of 2,000 Bandmates, as well as 250 children and teachers, in that endeavor. It’s a workplace created for people, not benchmarks.

Central to that approach were two simple but powerful questions: “What do our people actually need?” and “How can we meet them where they are?”

Rather than defaulting to open benching and industry norms, the team listened closely to what their Bandmates were saying—right down to the most basic human needs that shape a person’s day. From workspaces to food choices, and even restrooms, Bandwidth focused on reducing stressors by ensuring comfort, privacy, choice, and dignity in everyday moments. The design reflects a commitment to seeing each employee as a whole person, not just a worker.

This is clearly evident in the workstation design. Natural materials and soft curves create a soothing environment. “You don’t see those sharp angles in nature,” says Bottorff. “It’s a very small and subtle thing, but if you don’t soften them, people will not feel like they’re in a comforting, organic space.”

The panel-based workstations incorporate distinctive “clamshell” shrouds that arc up and over each desk, creating a comforting and cozy space, while reducing visual and acoustic distractions. “Some people saw the shrouds and wanted to remove them immediately,” she says. “I asked them to try it for 30 days. In the end, no one asked for the shrouds to be removed.”

Developed in response to evolving work patterns, these workstations were co-created through Bandwidth’s collaboration with Haworth. They are custom-designed to support focused work, integrated video conferencing, and a greater sense of personal space. Larger footprints and ergonomic adjustability reinforce the idea that comfort drives performance.

The office building’s scale and organization also reflect Bandwidth’s human-centered approach. Rather than stacking workstations on floor upon floor, they created larger floorplates with fewer levels. They placed approximately 450 people on each floor, so teams can remain together.

The reasoning can be found in a simple behavioral insight: People are more likely to move horizontally than vertically. Removing barriers like stairs and elevators makes collaboration more natural and spontaneous. “Every design decision, from the individual seat to the floorplate to the campus, was about making it easier for people to connect,” says Matt Shelton, Vice President of Global Real Estate and Facilities at Bandwidth.

Each building on Bandwidth’s campus draws on North Carolina’s front-porch tradition, creating welcoming transitions from indoors to outdoors and back again. Social zones continue the residential theme. From intimate nooks to living-room-like lounges, patios, and terraces, right-sized spaces bring people together in a way that feels natural.

The Barn, constructed from mass timber, flexes from town hall gatherings to celebrations. Outdoor fire features and casual seating on the patio create spaces where conversations can spill into the evening.

Ohana, Bandwidth’s on-site early child development center, transforms “work–life balance” from a slogan into an everyday practice. With 12 flexible classrooms and secure outdoor learning environments, Ohana gives parents peace of mind knowing their children are nearby. Families can share lunch with their children or stop in for a visit anytime.

The café gives Bandmates a place to connect over coffee or lunch. It offers a wide range of menu choices, so people can choose anything from salads to southern comfort food.

There is an on-site fitness center with a yoga studio and indoor sports courts, as well as a soccer field, disc golf course, pickleball court, and a two-mile-long walking trail. Anyone exercising during their lunch break can take an extra half hour to do so.

Bandwidth’s headquarters reframes what a corporate campus can be. Its presence is a direct expression of their Whole Person Promise: supporting mind, body, and spirit. Here, the decision to come to the office stops being a compliance question; it becomes the obvious choice.

The most important element of Bandwidth’s headquarters isn’t found in any single space. It’s the way the entire campus works together with nature to inspire, support, and strengthen the whole person, shaping meaningful opportunities for all Bandmates to connect, create, and innovate.

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