IN PHOTOS: Inside Hectare One, Erwan Heussaff and Nico Bolzico’s dream office

MANILA, Philippines – Nico Bolzico and Erwan Heussaff can’t seem to get enough of each other. Aside from being brothers-in-law and founding members of the #BulliedHusbandsClub, the two also share an office: Hectare One.

The space in Makati houses offices and a lab for Nico’s agri-businesses, as well as the studio where Erwan shoots videos for his vlog, The Fat Kid Inside.

The space ticks off all the elements on a “cool office” checklist: dim lights, concrete walls and floors, transparent rooms, murals, an open layout, and plants everywhere.

Throw in two cool (as in social-media-influencer level cool) bosses – and their pets, and you’ve got a place where millennials would love not just working but hanging out in.

That was pretty much what Erwan and Nico had in mind when they teamed up with contractors Mundo Design + Build to create the space. In particular, Erwan said they wanted “a very transparent space and a very timely new age working area.”

It’s been 8 months since Nico, Erwan, and their teams moved into the space – and more than a working area, it’s become home.

“We bring our dogs here, we spend maybe way too much time at the office more than we would in our respective houses,” Erwan said.

Nico added that the space makes people feel the passion of those working there.

“I think that with Hectare One, it has that feel that you enjoy what you do on a daily basis, kind of as if we do not call it to work…I think it’s one of those places that you really want to be there because you have a bigger purpose and the whole space and the whole place helps you to focus on that issue,“ Nico said.

For Nico and Erwan, it’s important for employees to feel like they’re not just with colleagues, but with family. As a result, there’s a lot of socializing, mostly over food (of course). Which only makes the office even more attractive to young, career-minded millennials.

“We want to create a space where you know we can feel comfortable working and also comfortable socializing in. We can invite friends and clients here. We can have social events. I have a kitchen where I can actually cook meals not just for the camera but also for ourselves,” Erwan said.

“Our employees here, they don’t feel they’re coming to this company or they’re separate or distinct groups but it’s all a big family,” Nico said.

“So we do a lot of things here, we socialize a lot we try to grow as many friends as we can. We have some Bolzico beef here, that’s one of our businesses together. They’re all the vision and the mission, the principles behind our ideas and our education that we are trying to reflect here.”

Erwan’s favorite parts of the building are the communal ones, such as the pantry and the seating areas, where most people gather and have conversations.

Nico also loves the pantry because it’s where people gather, but his true favorite spot is Erwan’s studio.

“I go there all the time, to chill, to relax, to try to trick him to eat lunch with me every day,” he said, in true Nico Bolzico fashion. “It doesn’t work all the time, but I like his studio very much.”

Whether Nico’s tactics work on Erwan or not, both of them agree that the office has done their businesses a ton of good.

“In Hectare One both of us have felt an incremental jolt in our businesses, our everyday work habits, you know? We are always very excited to come to work,” Erwan said.

“I think, for both of us it was a game changer in our business. The moment we had Hectare One all our visions and missions became more real. Things happen here, we build a lot,” Nico said.

“I think the space helps so much not only for our mission-vision and for what we want to accomplish, but also when people come here, they actually want to work here, it’s a whole sense of belonging to the place, the whole Hectare One building plays a key role.” – Rappler.com