MONTREAL – ACDF Architecture got the call to design a post-pandemic office space dubbed the “Cloud Chamber” for 2K, a publisher of video games including many played by Xbox and PlayStation gamers.

The Montreal-based architecture firm was inspired to create a sophisticated yet warm work environment more akin to a boutique hotel than a tech headquarters. The $4 million renovation project involved transforming 26,000 square feet of fifth-floor space formerly occupied by a data center for a bank credit card company.

ACDF borrowed from mid-century residential architecture and played with proportions, sightlines, and a monochrome color scheme. Some areas of the studio’s open floorplan were intentionally fashioned to be dimly lit for independent work while other nooks are flooded with light that resembles garden cafes and outdoor terraces for team collaboration. Those contrasting atmospheres, from more private to more public, are fused together under one cohesive design.

The areas for individual work are further characterized by furniture that corresponds with muted colors of carpeting in their small offices and meeting spaces. To create bright collaborative “gardens” for each team, ACDF worked with the building’s windows that pop out from the façade:

“We took advantage of the building’s three-dimensional envelope and used its natural nooks to differentiate between zones,” said ACDF partner Joan Renaud. The gardens are equipped with a wood decking, black metal structures, supports for writing boards and hanging plants, and white curtains, which can be opened or closed, depending on the level of privacy desired.

Rather than adding traditional walls to divide the floor plate, ACDF utilized the spaces between existing structures and closed central volumes to create non-linear circulation with moments that encourage interaction, thus fostering a sense of team spirit. From utility areas to elevator shafts, a series of internal units are unified visually and wrapped in a warm palette of copper panels, wood panels, and tinted glass. Other details include pale oak cabinetry, polished concrete floors, and furniture pieces that are both sober and elegant, inspiring a retro-futuristic atmosphere of the space.

ACDF turned to Ameublement Hors série ML of Quebec City to manufacture custom built-in cabinetry for the new space.

Furniture was procured from a variety of manufacturers including Herman Miller, Steelcase, Cab Deco, De Gaspe, and Allermuir.