达拉斯Crunchyroll办公室设计

Muse & Co. designed a welcoming and inspiring space for Crunchyroll‘s offices in Dallas, Texas.

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 project embodies the idea that a company’s cultural identity should go far beyond the functional necessities and logos on walls. 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. Therefore, it was necessary to design an office that was reflective of those qualities: fun, colorful, story-based, and at times, over-the-top.

Our task: create a post-pandemic environment to inspire Crunchyroll’s anime-mega-fan employees, support the creative process, and represent the world of anime. In other words, make a portal into the world of ink, paint, sound, and magic.

Beginning with copious research into the world of anime and deep dives into the core functionality of the space, we divided the floor plan into quadrants anchored by a central core that includes the welcome lobby and recording studios.

Representing harmony, the core transports one from the mundane into the sacred world of animation. Exiting the elevator, floor-to-ceiling murals evoke the lush landscape at Fushimi-Inari shrine and set the tone for the journey. From afar, the murals look photographic; up close, one sees every brushstroke and mythological creatures lurk in the undergrowth.

Lines between reality and fantasy continue to blur moving into the reception lobby, a forest with surreal emerald-green bamboo-patterned wall graphics, bamboo plantings, stepping-stone path, and traditional fencing.

The stunning black-and-white voice actor’s green room is a two-dimensional space recalling the hand-drawn linework of manga.

An arched footbridge leads to the break room – a period anime street scene with food carts, market stalls, wheat paste posters, and paper lanterns. Hand painted signage delights with hidden references to anime-famous establishments. From burnt finishes on wood cladding to distressed cafe tables, no detail has been left untouched, bringing the scene to life just as an animation concept artist might.

An onsen space provides an inspiring and relaxed environment for interaction. Cypress-clad, framed and elevated off the floor, it’s built using traditional Japanese bath techniques.

The conference room is a peaceful mountain retreat, with richly illustrated views of Mt. Fuji. Plants lend the warm, cypress-clad space a natural softness.

In the office spaces, murals depict mystical landscapes and onomatopoeia, and 120 linear feet of hallways received four-element-themed graphics.

We believe a physical, built space needs to support being present, bolster a coherent company culture, and provide a unique experience one can’t get at home on the sofa in one’s pajamas. By investing in the design of their offices, Crunchyroll is also investing in the well-being of their employees. Our hope is that our work for Crunchyroll can serve as a model for this type of design intervention and serve as inspiration for other companies seeking to design a meaningful home for their employees.

Project Team: Noah Veneklasen, Katja Genest, Andrea Fuentes, Adam Prost, Shradha Somani, Klover Kim, Jade Muir, Chris Wang, Amber Fox, Neal Halter, Christopher Kristant, Brian Garber, Kat Francesconi, Michaela Charette, Russell Hilken, David Adams