Last week we took a trip to Microsoft’s head office in Redmond, Washington, to check out the company’s Surface development facility.

We got an in-depth look at the Surface’s development process and a variety of Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book Prototypes, as well as a glimpse at some of the extensive testing that goes in to the creation of those devices. For instance, Microsoft claims to have the quietest room in the world, a facility where the Redmond-based tech giant tests the sound quality and sound effects featured in its Surface devices.

Below is a collection of some of my photos from the trip, ranging from an in-depth interview with Panos Panay (we’ll have a story next week), to a discussion with Steven Bathiche, Microsoft’s distinguished scientist of applied sciences, as well as a look at his mad scientist-like lab.