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San Francisco-based firm Studio O+A have transformed an old, turn-of-the-century former printing press into a modern workplace for The Giant Pixel, a gaming software company. The three floor office is located near San Francisco’s Mint Plaza, an area known for creative redevelopment and modernity drawn from vintage architecture. From the designers, “With a busy Blue Bottle Coffee shop as neighbor and stylish restaurants just minutes away, Giant Pixel wanted a casual urban look in keeping with its neighborhood. Our design challenge was to fit a variety of distinct work areas into three small footprints—and to do so with both beauty and economy.
A laser-cut blackened steel canopy at the entrance to the office begins the exercise with computer code patterns that create a striking visual matrix and divide the front into reception and waiting areas. The custom-fabricated concrete reception desk eschews traditional forms and substitutes a sweeping sculptural elegance offset by the wit of a desk-lamp chandelier. In the basement a lounge and bar provide a cozy in-house retreat for Giant Pixel’s staff and visitors.
Upstairs a suspended fireplace and chimney create another arresting focal point evolving into mid-area workstations, a conference room, private break cabanas and finally a coffee counter at the back. Each area is spatially discreet, but each informs the other through proximity, light—and in the case of the fireplace: warmth. Throughout Giant Pixel’s office one design thought prevails: that small spaces may acquire richness through an abundance of uses and careful orchestration of detail.”
Photography: Jasper Sanidad
