-
Interior Designers: Studio O+A
- Area: 4200 m²
- Year: 2013
-
Photographs:Jasper Sanidad
Text description provided by the architects. Giant Pixel is a small company with big aspirations. For its first headquarters, the gaming software developer bought a turn-of-the-century former printing press near San Francisco’s Mint Plaza, an area known for creative redevelopment and modernity drawn from vintage architecture. The design challenge was to fit a variety of distinct work areas into three floors with small footprints—and to do so with both beauty and economy.
At the entrance to the office, a blackened steel canopy perforated with a computer code pattern creates a striking visual matrix and divides the front into reception and waiting areas. The concrete reception desk has a sweeping sculptural form offset by the wit of a chandelier composed of desk lamps.
Upstairs, a suspended fireplace and chimney create a focal point for the workstations, conference room, private break cabanas, and coffee counter at the back. Work tables foster collaboration, while the cabanas are enclosed in swathes of gray felt hung over rods for acoustic separation.
In the basement, a lounge and bar provide a cozy in-house retreat for Giant Pixel’s 20+ employees and visitors. The repository of the company’s collection of fine whiskies (and the founders’ selection of Star Wars video games), the lounge incorporates high-end finishes, furniture, and lighting.
