At the base of a high-rise on Harbor Island overlooking downtown Tampa, the Sparxoo office began as a concrete shell with a dirt floor. Sparxoo wanted a space that would not only reflect the creative nature of the company’s work, but also facilitate it. This meant that the architecture had to make room for many types of work-styles: collaboration in large and small teams, quiet spaces for thinking, and casual spaces for taking a break.  

An open-plan mezzanine brings together the workspaces of the whole office, while a nearby plywood-wrapped lounge with treetop views creates a more relaxed space for work and collaboration. The experience of these spaces, which encourage interaction and visual connection, contrasts that of the conference rooms and quiet spaces, designed to facilitate small gatherings and individual reflection.

The movement of people throughout the office is backdropped by a bright material palette — whitewashed walls and ceilings, exposed concrete, expanded metal, and sealed plywood — and complemented by moments of animation in the design itself. On the concrete slab ceiling, the exposed ductwork, pipes and conduit mark a subtle rhythm. A stair connecting the entrance to the mezzanine sweeps along the cylindrical walls, its skin briefly peeling apart as it ascends past a window, creating a niche below.