Workplace
Sharkmob
A new London HQ for Malmö-based Sharkmob
1 Floor
14 Week Programme
40,000 Sq Ft
The Challenge
To design a creative, dynamic workspace for a modern, rapidly growing team in the heart of London, reflecting their Nordic roots and contemporary outlook whilst being sympathetic to the heritage of the building.
The Solution
We focused the design of the space on the wellbeing of the team, ensuring adaptable lighting and a variety of different spaces for people to work in that enhance creativity while aesthetically nodding to natural finishes reminiscent of Sweden.
The Result
A fresh, welcoming workspace suited to neurodiverse needs and different workplace tasks, that nurtures creativity and energy whilst remaining sophisticated and professional.
Meeting the current and future needs of the rapidly expanding company with the development of a 36,000 square foot office overlooking the River Thames and the London skyline.
Sharkmob is a fully-fledged AAA game studio that develops and publishes its own games. The company’s main headquarters is in Malmö in Sweden where it was founded.
However, following a period of explosive growth, they set about creating a London HQ in an impressive building in the West End. Here, they sought to develop a space that reflected their passion for creativity and excellence whilst reinforcing their industry-leading position in the gaming sector.
Meeting the needs of the team and the company
Sharkmob’s big challenge as an organisation was designing for their exceptional and ongoing company growth. In context, when we first started working with them, they had a team of six in the UK, but the brief was to accommodate up to 200 people by the time the office was complete.
Despite their rapidly scaling trajectory, as a young organisation they sought the expertise our team not only to develop the space itself but to help establish their identity in the aesthetic and format of their office. This was an opportunity to take a moment to decide how they wanted to work and be seen as an employer going forward.
Aesthetically they didn’t want it to look like a gaming company, but to draw inspiration from the residential and hospitality sectors, giving it a homely, welcoming feel that disrupted expectations that people may have of a gaming leader.
Nordic inspiration
In terms of style, the main focus was on reflecting their Nordic roots, whilst also harnessing the views of the river as much as possible, particularly in staff areas including a large breakout space.
The aesthetic language is set from the moment you step into reception, which features lots of woodwork and neutral tones offset by brass fixtures that nod to the heritage of the building and plenty of plant life.
A lot of attention was paid to the joinery to ensure seamless edges and a sense of quality. The reception desk was in elegant, engineered oak, while a key feature was a floating bar in a contrasting walnut to one side. Soft seating was located to the other side of the lobby, creating an instant sense of conviviality as you enter the office.
Designing for individuals
Sharkmob has an all-hands-on-deck approach, they’re very inclusive, the space is agile and there’s a significant focus on neurodiversity. It was important that alongside the style, that spaces were designed for a neurodiverse workforce. For example, it was important that staff members had the ability to control light intensity in their workspaces, close the blinds and adjust their own surroundings to meet their needs.
In line with this thinking, workspaces were designed around teams. Pod-style areas for each team were flanked by dedicated meeting rooms and collaborative spaces to make it easy to step away from the desk and work together as required, testing games and chatting through ideas. These areas were always located by the windows to maximise the experience.
A considered breakout area
A large breakout area with a long bar and full-length windows to frame the impressive views of London was a central aspect of the whole office. The space offers different seating options including banquettes for time spent with team members or working away from the desk.
Acoustic baffles on the ceilings improved the sound quality as the space featured a lot of hard surfaces. Large screens depict the latest product releases and have the potential for use in presentations. Meanwhile, a combination of terrazzo stone, wood and brass surfaces continue the aesthetic quality and narrative from the reception into the staff area.
Working with the building
A unique feature distinct to the company and their sector is a dedicated space known as the Reef. This was created for users to come in and test games, with ‘on air’ and ‘off air’ rooms as well as a self-contained refreshment space. A key factor here was that it made functional and stylistic use of structural columns. We were not permitted to attach anything to these columns (such as partitions or wraps) as part of the landlord guidelines, so we integrated them into the design, and they became a feature in their own right.
A space for company growth
The result is an impressive, fresh feeling space that reflects the youthful effervescence of the company but that also speaks to its gravitas and professionalism within the sector. The wellbeing of employees is front and centre, and at the same time the environment allows for the ongoing growth of the company as it continues to flourish.