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Meltwater HQ
Meltwater HQ
San Francisco, CA, United States
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Other Projects by Blitz
Meltwater HQ
San Francisco, CA, United States
Meltwater, an SaaS company which was founded in Norway in 2001 and has offices worldwide, is headquartered in San Francisco. For its new San Francisco HQ, the company partnered with Design Blitz to create a clean, contemporary office that combines classic, Scandinavian modern design with cutting-edge, San Francisco tech industry style. !
Once the programmatic adjacency layout was formalized, Design Blitz looked to the company’s brand identity and core values for design direction, starting with the description of the company name:
“Meltwater—the transformation of ice and snow to crystal clear, flowing water—is a symbol of renewal and change. “
Using the idea of water as both a circulatory and transformative element, Blitz designed the space with Norway’s largest river as a reference. The Glåma River, which runs from icy mountains in the north through farmland and into a small urban center in the south, flows past many different topographies and ecospheres in Norway. Similarly, the Meltwater office has a main circulation path that runs through the office and all of the departmental zones. Blitz selected four ecospheres found along the Glåma River - ice caps, waterfalls, green valley, and pond - to inform the design of the distinct zones in the Meltwater office.
Design Blitz specified colors, forms, and materiality in each zone to reflect its respective Norwegian environment. The reception features an articulated enclosure that is inspired by ice caps, with geometric hanging light fixtures evocative of ice crystals and a custom, angular geometric desk that references layered, sheathed ice. For the area around the work cafe, Blitz placed decorative, custom-patterned screens representing the flowing water of a waterfall to create a vibrant backdrop for social activities. The Engineering zone in the western wing of the office uses a pixelated, bold green carpet pattern and multilevel ceiling panels to depict the green tiles of farmland in Norway and to brighten up a previously light-deprived space. Lastly, the Central Operations zone in the office’s eastern wing incorporates cool blues and a custom lighting element symbolizing water droplets to achieve the serenity of a calm pond.
Along with the transformative water motif, Blitz called upon the heritage of Scandinavian architecture to produce an overall design that would unify the space and evoke the company’s history, while keeping things true to the technologically advanced setting of San Francisco. Within the distinct design schemes and throughout the office, a unified palette of materials consisting of warm woods and vibrant, crisp colors was specified not only to accentuate Meltwater’s heritage, but also to update it with a current, San Francisco style. Another key aspect of the overall design is the transparency of private offices to allow natural light to flow and increase collaboration. The architects used glazing at all the offices wrapped in wood overhangs to encourage the flow of natural light. Cutouts in walls form an abstraction of the Norwegian flag, tying into Meltwater’s roots in a playful way while also evoking a classic, Scandinavian modern form. Additionally, Blitz added a Lego wall to an otherwise unused leftover space to add a sense of levity to the project and to encourage an alternative to a traditional meeting space. Finally, the inclusion of touchscreen monitors, state-of-the-art audio systems, and high-definition projectors solidify the project’s place in the tech hub of San Francisco and support a company that is constantly adapting.
The result is clean, dynamic space that respects Meltwater’s heritage while looking to the future, providing a home for the
company as it continues to grow and evolve.
Once the programmatic adjacency layout was formalized, Design Blitz looked to the company’s brand identity and core values for design direction, starting with the description of the company name:
“Meltwater—the transformation of ice and snow to crystal clear, flowing water—is a symbol of renewal and change. “
Using the idea of water as both a circulatory and transformative element, Blitz designed the space with Norway’s largest river as a reference. The Glåma River, which runs from icy mountains in the north through farmland and into a small urban center in the south, flows past many different topographies and ecospheres in Norway. Similarly, the Meltwater office has a main circulation path that runs through the office and all of the departmental zones. Blitz selected four ecospheres found along the Glåma River - ice caps, waterfalls, green valley, and pond - to inform the design of the distinct zones in the Meltwater office.
Design Blitz specified colors, forms, and materiality in each zone to reflect its respective Norwegian environment. The reception features an articulated enclosure that is inspired by ice caps, with geometric hanging light fixtures evocative of ice crystals and a custom, angular geometric desk that references layered, sheathed ice. For the area around the work cafe, Blitz placed decorative, custom-patterned screens representing the flowing water of a waterfall to create a vibrant backdrop for social activities. The Engineering zone in the western wing of the office uses a pixelated, bold green carpet pattern and multilevel ceiling panels to depict the green tiles of farmland in Norway and to brighten up a previously light-deprived space. Lastly, the Central Operations zone in the office’s eastern wing incorporates cool blues and a custom lighting element symbolizing water droplets to achieve the serenity of a calm pond.
Along with the transformative water motif, Blitz called upon the heritage of Scandinavian architecture to produce an overall design that would unify the space and evoke the company’s history, while keeping things true to the technologically advanced setting of San Francisco. Within the distinct design schemes and throughout the office, a unified palette of materials consisting of warm woods and vibrant, crisp colors was specified not only to accentuate Meltwater’s heritage, but also to update it with a current, San Francisco style. Another key aspect of the overall design is the transparency of private offices to allow natural light to flow and increase collaboration. The architects used glazing at all the offices wrapped in wood overhangs to encourage the flow of natural light. Cutouts in walls form an abstraction of the Norwegian flag, tying into Meltwater’s roots in a playful way while also evoking a classic, Scandinavian modern form. Additionally, Blitz added a Lego wall to an otherwise unused leftover space to add a sense of levity to the project and to encourage an alternative to a traditional meeting space. Finally, the inclusion of touchscreen monitors, state-of-the-art audio systems, and high-definition projectors solidify the project’s place in the tech hub of San Francisco and support a company that is constantly adapting.
The result is clean, dynamic space that respects Meltwater’s heritage while looking to the future, providing a home for the
company as it continues to grow and evolve.
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