Completed in 2023
Location Dallas, TX
Scope Designed, Engineered and Fabricated by Muse & Company
Type Themed architectural interiors
Client Crunchyroll
Photographs by Hannah Franco
Project Summary
Crunchyroll is a leading anime streaming service and production company that champions the art and culture of anime to a passionate community of fans around the world. It was necessary to design an office that was reflective of those qualities: fun, colorful, story-based, and at times, over-the-top.
Our primary motivation for Crunchyroll Dallas was to create an environment that supports and inspires its employees while providing a meaningful home to which they could return after a global pandemic. The existing 80,000 sq. ft. space was a clean but nondescript corporate office space in a newly built office park on the outskirts of Dallas. It was functional but reflected none of the personality of a creative animation company where every employee spends their day in fan tees surrounded by the paraphernalia of manga and anime. We began our process with hours of research into the world of anime - its history, development, common themes, iconic titles, and the artistic process. We also needed to understand the core functionality of the space, anchored by a strong functional core that includes the welcome lobby and the recording studios where foreign language dubbing and editing occurs. Here, employees would be stepping through a portal into the world of ink, paint, sound, and magic.
It was essential to us that every space feel thoughtfully conceived and distinct from anywhere else in the office; like watching an anime, the office reveals itself as one moves through it and the story progresses, each new chapter contributing to an understanding of a larger and more cohesive space. We created a distinct vision for each space, each rooted in a different aspect of anime and the elements. The furniture, artwork, scenic treatments, color palettes, materials, lighting, and plant design all subscribe to this vision. Environmental graphics support this vision by breaking the boundaries of the office walls while providing the necessary backdrop for spatial organization and identity.