To manage dramatic expansion in the Seattle area, HBO signed a lease for the top three floors of a new mid-rise building known as Hill7. They recognized this as an opportunity to develop a high-performance workspace that would support their main objective—re-engineering entertainment.
HBO hired Rapt Studio to design its workspace for HBO Digital Products, the arm of the company responsible for new digital and interactive experiences such as HBO GO and HBO NOW. Rapt Studio’s discovery process unpacked the heart, soul, and internal workings of HBO Digital Products, helping to identify their unique characteristics, agile work process, potential optimization strategies, as well as the special Pacific Northwest flavor of the staff. The result of this discovery process is a workspace that is highly responsive to and supportive of the teams, workflow, and culture that make up HBO Digital Products. Due to the nature of their work, the flexibility and adaptability of the space was paramount. The space had to support and inspire the agile process of the teams while allowing for constant change and reconfiguration of the teams’ size and mission.
A raised flooring system and mobile desking allow employees to effortlessly reconfigure their work areas depending on the tasks at hand. Writable wall surfaces and small touchdown areas provide space for the teams’ daily stand ups. Display walls break up the long, linear corridors and afford spaces for people to gather and discuss projects. In addition to the dedicated team spaces, each floor has a few unique amenities to encourage employees to use the prominent central stair and frequent other floors, fueling impromptu meetings and discussions with those outside of their immediate team. The ninth floor features the main reception overlooking Seattle.