Uber 555 | Studio O+A

Uber approached O+A with the need for a temporary office to absorb its rapidly-expanding workforce while it builds a new headquarters from the ground up. Because that construction won’t be completed for a couple of years, the temporary space needed to be more than a placeholder—but not a major budget commitment.

Just Visiting
Uber approached O+A with the need for a temporary office to absorb its rapidly-expanding workforce while it builds a new headquarters from the ground up. Because that construction won’t be completed for a couple of years, the temporary space needed to be more than a placeholder—but not a major budget commitment.

Seeking Warmth
Plywood is ubiquitous here—but plywood finished to accentuate the grain. As cushioned lounge bench or wall installation cut geometrically to match painted patterns, plywood here is a warming agent in spaces with white walls and concrete floors. Similarly, furniture and lighting throughout the project double as sculpture. From pink and blue cafeteria chairs to pendant lighting fixtures in a medley of shapes and styles, functional elements are used aesthetically on every floor.

Give ’em the old razzle dazzle
Among the quirkier motifs of this project are the wall graphics inspired by World War II era dazzle camouflage. Used on ships to confound torpedo aiming mechanisms, these patterns of broad stripes lend themselves here to the industrial aesthetic, while making a subtle, tongue-in-cheek statement to the company’s competitors.