Sony Music Sweden

  • Office
  • Stockholm, Sweden
  • 1999

Moving from a suburb to a central location in Stockholm, Sony Music holds an entire old building, previously used as a church. Six floors altogether, of which three constituted the church room with full ceiling height. The key to the interior architecture lies in an articulated staircase in this space.

Music, music at high volume and one stereo per employee. No wonder a traditional record company is all closed offices and corridors. But the modern organisation called for more direct internal communication. The solution was a hybrid between an open and a closed plan (and headphones). A combination of a number of closed conference-, meeting- and listening-rooms and open space for work stations. The open work spaces are divided into different departments (marketing, economy etc.) by semi walls, freestanding wall units or cabinets.

The big open space with its two mezzanins created the necessary conditions to build a intricat spatial composition working both horizontally and vertically. Two longitudinal staircases was hanged between the floors. In the walls containing the stairs most of office storage was placed. When moving around the floors or up/down the stairs the space is in constant change. Lines of vision opens and closes again.

The existing old architecture is generally left untouched. Old walls are grey while new are white. The architectural composition is complex but the detailing is very simple. Simple materials, no linings, skirtings or visible glass fixations – to create a contrast to the inevitable chaos around workstations.