For the brand new street level office for their Playstation Group, Sony Interactive Entertainment needed a unique, playful space where their staff of approximately 40 would feel at home and inspired while innovating new gaming and virtual reality products. The space would also be home to their planning and design kickoffs. The aim was to create a visually stimulating “playground” for staff to gather, collaborate, and test the products they would be developing, and of course reflect PlayStation’s spirit of creativity and fun.
With a small footprint of only 6,000 square feet, the space is narrow and 150 feet long, facing the street along one side, with 15-20 foot high exposed structure ceilings.
From the front door entrance one can see down the entire length of the office. To make this area feel more open and engaging, a curved wall was created, which draws the eye in and signals a welcoming environment.
Playstation’s iconic branding is prominently featured throughout the office, and this begins with the entrance wall, which displays the company’s signature graphics. The corridor also features bold diagonal lines in the carpeting which break up the momentum of the long space.
The corridor leads to the main work area with work stations along the perimeter to maximize access to daylight. Work station panels of Playstation blue, red, green, and yellow add variety and energy. Cross-shaped pendant lights (also Playstation icons) are hung from the 20-foot open ceiling. An A-framed house shape concept was concentrated on one side of the space in a very linear way, in order to maximize the contrast between the open ceiling and enclosed built areas. These structures within the building, or “industrial urban cabins”, house the office's meeting and game rooms, and are made up of a simple squares and triangles, prominent elements in Playstation’s branding.
A colourful family-style kitchen takes in light from the street and features geometric porcelain tiles and graphic patterned upholstery. This eclectic mix of colour and pattern demonstrates how materials can emphasize core design elements. Dozens of exposed Edison lamps produce a dynamic canopy effect, embracing the creative and playful spirit that helps inspire the Sony team to innovate.
“figure3 really understood us and our culture, and their team was deeply committed to design excellence. They listened, were great collaborators, and ultimately helped us achieve our goal in creating a unique workplace where employees are inspired to innovate. Our team sees our new space as the best place to work and play. What figure3 delivered was beyond our expectation.”
Ryan Hassan, GM & Sr. Director of North American Sales, Sony IE
Material Used:
1. Interface – Carpet Tile
2. Knoll – Workstations
3. 3M – Glazing Film
4. Caesar Stone – Solid Surfacing
5. Stone Tile - Tile
6. Olympia Tile - Tile
