August 15, 2018

Rapt Studio Strips Down Unity’s San Francisco Headquarters

Creating environments means paying attention to the physical. This was doubly so for Rapt Studio when designing a San Francisco headquarters. “Unity creates tools for users to imagine and reimagine reality in a virtual world. With this in mind, we designed an office that reminds developers of the constructed world in which they live,” Rapt Studio CEO and chief creative officer David Galullo says. 

Layers and layers of finishes were stripped, exposing structure and history. Existing brick walls and concrete columns were left bare. Two existing buildings, joined into a single complex, are united by a central atrium with an adjacent industrial staircase. Wood beams, removed to create the atrium, became the reception desk and cafe bar. Elements “lend themselves to an honest and unpolished world in which Unity’s creative vision can thrive,” Galullo says.

Blackened-steel panels surround a digital display in the atrium. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
Wood beams, removed to create the atrium, were transformed into the cafe’s bar. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
More beams became the reception desk. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
Chairs by Studio Tolvanen and a sofa by Lievore Altherr Molina define a break-out area. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
Pendant fixtures in a seating area are by Michael Anastassiades. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
Carpet tile in a lounge is nylon. Photography by Jasper Sanidad.
Wool felt clads walls in phone rooms. Photography by Jasper Sanidad. 

Recent Projects