HGA Architects and Engineers has developed a new office space for video technology company Ooyala located in Santa Clara, California.

HGA transformed the 65,000-square-foot space by challenging the typical design aesthetics found in many of the area’s tech start-ups by using subtle interior design elements. As Ooyala means ‘cradle’ in Telugu Indian, cradle concepts were incorporated through architectural circles and soft curves, ranging from the lobby’s lighting fixtures to the shape of the collaborative innovation rooms. HGA also integrated minor pops of the company’s signature colors balanced by various shades of gray.

To accommodate additional occupants, HGA also had to comply with occupant load city codes to make sure every person had, at minimum, fifteen square feet of space. After planning with the City of Santa Clara for several months, HGA identified multi-purpose rooms with open office spaces at the perimeters of the space as a solution. This included collaboration rooms with moveable panels in the engineering and marketing departments to allow employees to reconfigure the space as needed. Private, circular rooms were added in the center for more privacy.

After multiple visionary sessions, the HGA team compiled feedback from all employees to discover a third challenge: design a space that connects all employees from engineering to the marketing and administrative departments with amenities for a “work-play” atmosphere. The result was a 25-foot collaboration tunnel inspired by a camera’s zoom lens to serve as the cornerstone of the design that connects the entire office. Also included was a large, all-hands area for employees to break for lunch, as well as an espresso café and a library – all easily accessible via a scooter or skateboard along stretches of concrete hallways.

Design: HGA Architects and Engineers
Photography: Gregory Cortez

via Office Snapshots