Primal Screen Studio

Primal Screen, an animation studio, came to Choate + Hertlein with a desire to convert an unloved low-slung, 1940’s-era warehouse into an open office environment that would serve as inspiration for its creative staff. A plan developed around the idea of “streets” and “avenues” with variations of hierarchy and scale and intentional “accidents.” Spatial variety is created with a variety of forms: a wooden box as the video-editing suite, a translucent elliptical conference room floating in a pool of river rocks, and a wall in the exaggerated shape of a diving board. Bright colors reflect the playful nature of cartoon animation, contrasting with the exposed structural elements and infrastructure of the existing building.