SAN DIEGO—Game developer Daybreak Game Co. has made some against-the-grain design decisions for its new space at 15051 Avenue of Science in Carmel Mountain Ranch here. The company has chosen an environment with low lights, which makes it easier to look at a screen all day, and a floor plan that focuses on private offices, which helps employees focus on the sound elements of the games they are designing, according to Jim Roherty, president of Pacific Building Group, which completed the renovations.

The 60,000-square-foot space has been transformed from an out-of-date building to a modern hub for the developers of blockbuster hits and franchises, including DC Universe Online and the highly anticipated EverQuest Next. The project cost approximately $4 million; the firm, formerly Sony Online Entertainment, relocated from an outdated office in the Miramar area.

To transform the space, PBG demolished, then built out the gaming destination to include a lounge area with a garage-style roll-up door, booth seating and bar-height tables, large training and gaming spaces, a theater and outdoor charging stations for cars. Design elements also include exposed wood and cement and acoustic ceilings and high-quality carpet for improving overall comfort.

According to Roherty, "From layout to lighting, this project goes against today's trends in many ways." He points out the lighting and office-layout choices. "Most companies are currently redesigning their offices to feature natural light and open spaces."

Roherty tells GlobeSt.com, "Companies are going to highly controllable lighting systems for two reasons: first, a minimum amount of control is now a requirement for meeting energy-saving regulations, and second, in many tech firms, employees have two to four monitors. Depending on the work they are doing, they often like to work with a lower level of light to better enhance the computer graphics. Many lighting-control systems now allow individual offices to customize the light levels for each employee or group of employees."

As Roherty recently told us, the move from traditional office space to more-collaborative, open-concept floorplans with lots of amenities is mainly driven by companies' desire to keep employees happy. Construction firms are jumping on this these trends and providing tenants with creative space, which is becoming more and more the norm than the exception.