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Jump Studios is known for their theatrical, seductive interiors and their penchant for borrowing industrial finishes and materials and transforming them into tactile and of-the-moment interiors.

For instance, their Nike offices in London's Soho (2003) features mirrored corridors, industrial-strength, poured resin floors, and a "display cage" — a long wire-mesh cage used to display Nike gear. That space is exuberant, playful, and futuristic. Inside a standard office building, Jump Studios can create another world — a way of inhabiting a shiny, playful fantasy world that far surpasses visitors' expectations.

At Red Bull, Jump Studios worked with a budget of around £2 million for this ambitious, three-level, interior fit-out, and the look is luxurious, sci-fi and in parts almost clinical. From the outside, the building blends right into its neighborhood, but on the inside, the typical rules of offices — and architecture — do not apply.

Rather than conventional floors, walls, and ceilings, the Red Bull headquarters spaces sport wrapping surfaces of unexpected materials, and floor becomes wall becomes ceiling. It is an office playground.

The interior is all about interaction and movement. It is hard to imagine employees walking slowly through the spaces. In addition to the slide between levels, the furniture and fittings are all sleek and glossy, encouraging one to run a hand along the surface or sit on the walls. One imagines their recruiting days draw a lot of grown-up skateboarders.

Playful Meeting Rooms

In a space like this, normal cubicles would be ridiculous, so glass meeting "pods" with bright graphics define the more private meeting spaces. Traditional office lighting would also be out of place. In the lobby, the ceiling appears faceted and glowing, a striking effect achieved using custom, circular, cold-cathode lights behind translucent, stretched, ceiling membranes.

Even the office furniture has been customized. Round ping pong tables (with paddles, naturally) replace conventional conference-room tables, and in the lounge area, comfy sofas and chairs allow employees to put their feet up. But generally, these spaces are neither relaxing nor homey, they are highly charged, energetic, and undeniably trendy.

Sugimoto explains that the Red Bull can was at the heart of the concept: "The can holds a much leaner and compressed proportion [of liquid] compared to other can products. This we took quite literally and tried recreating a compressed experience. In some areas, the ceilings are quite low with custom meshed panels and light strips."

The most striking element is the curved, white reception desk that sits in the center of the central lobby. Made of woven fiberglass, which Sugimoto explains is normally used for as an industrial material to wrap exhaust pipes on motorcycles, the material is tactile and smooth, showcasing an unusual and luminous centerpiece for the space.

The process of sourcing unusual and striking materials and incorporating them into an interior is at the heart of the design process for Jump Studios. The "L-SIM, [the woven fiberglass] reflects the F1 culture and high-techness of Red Bull," says Sugimoto.

While it may look like it was all fun and no work, the design process was challenging because of limitations in the original structure. "As any existing building holds, there are elements you come across during demolition," notes Sugimoto. "Mechanical and electrical issues, fire issues, access issues. The plan and layout of the spaces were quite restricted due to existing lift and core conditions."

But the result gives the impression of a wild and exciting, although surprisingly practical, series of office and reception spaces. Beyond the "wow factor" of unusual materials and dynamic routes through the space, at Red Bull there is now a quality workspace far from the typical office interior. Jump Studios has challenged the preconceptions of the "office" and developed this everyday space into something more powerful.   >>>

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Terri Whitehead is a writer and designer based in London.

SUBSCRIPTION SAMPLE Red Bull headquarters offices in London, designed by Jump Studios. Photo: Gareth Gardner A three-story video wall unites the floors. Photo: Gareth Gardner Floors curve into walls. Photo: Gareth Gardner Reception desk in the central lobby. Photo: Gareth Gardner Conference room. Photo: Gareth Gardner Bottom-level floor plan. Image: Jump Studios Middle-level floor plan. Image: Jump Studios Top-level floor plan. Image: Jump Studios   Click on thumbnail images to view full-size pictures.