-By Katie Weeks, Photography by Matthew Millman

Just as a film editor weaves together an array of takes and camera angles to create a polished scene, the San Francisco office of Filmcore, a film editing company, splices together spaces that can support corporate tasks with a residential aesthetic to create a workplace where employees and clients alike feel at ease.

It is exactly what Filmcore management had in mind when it tasked local firm Melander Architects with designing an 8,800-sq.-ft. shell, doubling the space it previously had occupied across the street. After more than 11 years in a more corporate space comprising interconnected private offices, Filmcore sought a more open environment that encouraged collaboration.

The shell provided the perfect canvas to craft a new corporate culture, says Eric Robinson, RA, principal at Melander Architects. "The space was just a beautiful, open, well-lit, concrete loft, and we wanted to maintain the character of the space and have a dialogue with what was there before," he says. The design team complemented the rough ceiling and exposed ductwork with a softer palette of warm-hued residential furnishings and fixtures including oversized lamp shades that are a modern take on a more traditional pleated style, as well as upholstered sofas, Eames molded plywood chairs, coffee tables, and wool rugs. "We wanted to use residential pieces to make it feel more like a lived-in loft and less like an office," Robinson notes. What's more, maintaining a lofty interior would also help keep the project's budget in check. "We knew their budget was tight, and the less we imposed on the space, the less money we would be spending," he says.

The design creates three areas in the loft, including individual editing bays and offices, as well as a more formal reception space that instills a professional, welcoming vibe. But the heart of the new office is an informal kitchen and lounge just off of the reception area. "In many offices, we've seen a kitchen that's small and essentially just functional. We wanted to make our kitchen area a point of gathering," notes Jon Ettinger, executive producer at Filmcore. He adds that encouraging clients and employees to relax in this area also helps market Filmcore. "We have editors and clients there every day, and often they're competitors. Rather than isolate them, we thought it would be nice to have cross-pollination between them, not only for them to see each other, but also to validate our business. It's a good place to see and be seen," he explains.

The airy aesthetic keeps the atmosphere casual and also helps spread natural light and cross-ventilation from windows on three sides of the space. Film editing bays are outfitted with sliding doors crafted from translucent laminated glass that provide adequate acoustical privacy and enough visual privacy to shield the room's occupants while still filtering in natural light. Inside, the rooms feature acoustical walls and ceiling treatments to further damped sound transfer between the suites when in use; when not in use, the rooms can open up to the rest of the interior to further unite the individual spaces as a whole.

The open plan, both Robinson and Ettinger admit, was a gamble. "We knew that having a very public space would run the risk of a lack of privacy and a lot of noise and chaos, but the reward was bringing people together," Ettinger says. The bet paid off: Filmcore's client and employees alike give the new space two thumbs up. "I think the design achieves most of the things they wanted and in some ways is even more successful than they hoped. I think clients like to be there. We've even had calls from their clients asking us about potential projects," Robinson says. It's been so successful, in fact, that Filmcore and Melander Architects are now considering a sequel: an expansion.

For a list of who, what, where, please see page 170.