King Offices – Stockholm
Adolfsson & Partners have developed a new office space for game development studio King, the creator of Candy Crush, located in Stockholm
The Task: Working at King, where the teams often are put together for every new project, this office space needed to be flexible and provide multiple places suited for all types of operation methods. At the same time we had to focus on how this world is driven by creativity and playfulness. In a business that is looking for new solutions the employees have to have the energy and power to accomplish great work to succeed in the industry. King needed an office to match that drive.
Concept “The Forest”: With a strong vision from Adam Schaub, Studio Manager, we took this project to heart and came up with a concept that has its roots in the Swedish forests. The same inspiring and calming effect that you get from spending time in natural surroundings we decided we wanted to apply to this new King office. To make the most of the natural light in this studio we made the glass-roofed well a local hero in The Forest, the centerpiece of this office.
As you walk down the stairs to the open office, special built silhouettes of trees made from painted pine tree plywood enhances the scene.
Combine that with soft woven fabrics and you have a result which is both organic and sculptural at the same time. This works well together with the color theme of warm green and different shades of grey on both floors, walls, textiles and tables.
The space should also provide different types of work places, weather you work from your laptop, the special built furniture and elevated hills or from a hanging basket chair. It allows the developers at King to be creative, something they need daily working on new games and apps.
We wanted a natural flow from light to dark and managed to achieve what we aimed for. Something subtle but that feels well thought-out. Last, we added a lot of real plants thats plays well with the earthy tones from the interior and adds up to build a fresh and authentic atmosphere.
Interactive Floor: Step into the office and you are greeted by a beautiful greenery – nature has made its way into the city and the concrete jungle meets the forest. With the help of interior and lighting design the visitor gets an experience that makes you think of John Bauer’s magical forests.
To strengthen the forest theme an artificial stream has also been designed, a stream that flows and connects the different parts of the office. The stream is actually an interactive floor where people’s steps get scanned and turned into movements in the water. Fish splashing in the water but hiding quickly when you walk passed and rippling water can ow between your feet.
As the lighting design reflects the changing seasons so is the water in the stream. At the touch of a button the stream turns into ice that cracks beneath you. It is with the help of our partners 3Dsense in the Czech Republic that we have managed to do the whole floor interactively.
The light and video effects are combined into highly realistic effects. The animals, fish and insects have an artificial intelligence, they can be chased away since they always look out for our footsteps.
The Office Space: From the moment you step inside the doors of K36 you are struck by how we took this concept to the next level. The reception wall for example, is entirely covered in Norwegian lichen. That sets an immediate tone which progresses throughout the whole working area.
We customized high quality armatures and assembled to walls and columns. Imagine being in a forest where the light changes depending on the season and you meet the reality we created for King. This combined with the rest of the interior design helps bring a natural calming vibe that enhances the experience. Another important job for us was of course to make our concept t the clients flexibility in the way they work.
Design: Adolfsson & Partners
Project Team: Hans Adolfsson, Mia Cullin, Håkan Rehle, Anki Gneib, Annika Zetterquist, Anna Gustafsson
Photography: Joachim Belaieff
