Eijkingdelouwere

Bart Eijking and Patrick O. de Louwere helped the 450 employees of this previously staid insurance-law firm stop and smell the flowers. Abstracted roses and poppies bloom throughout the 215,000-square-foot space, from the shades of pendant fixtures to the laser-cut felt tapestries in halls and meeting rooms. Chunky red-painted furniture takes a playful cue from this decorative motif: Note the canteen's refectory tables and the open office areas' mail stations, which look houses a child might draw. "Introduce architecture that creates community," De Louwere says, "and people change the way they interact."

Tishman Speyer, New York

DESIGN Lehman Smith McLeish.

STANDOUT The reception atrium houses work by Sue Williams, Martin Honert, Damien Hirst, et al.

Cole & Weber United, Seattle

DESIGN Gensler.

STANDOUT Maple-slat screens and sheer curtains bring clear definition to otherwise open zones.

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, U.K.

DESIGN NBBJ.

STANDOUT Landscaped roofs help this facility blend in with the area's rolling green hills.