The icon is reflected in the black glassy logo mark behind the reception desk directly across the lobby. YouTube’s famous “play” icon is outlined in neon at the center of the LED wall. Stepping on a medallion triggers a reaction on the digital wall. Each medallion bears a graphic that describes one of YouTube’s core values. To encourage visitors (many of them YouTube content creators) to interact with the digital installation, the design team spread floor “medallions” throughout the lobby. When the LEDs are off, they’re invisible behind the fabric. The soft fabric not only improves the lobby’s acoustics, but also feels inviting and warm to the touch.

As a result, the videos that play on the screen take on an abstract, ephemeral quality.

In the floor-to-ceiling digital installation on the southern wall, LEDs are broadly spaced and set a few inches behind a layer of soft acoustic fabric, so that the material catches the light as large circles. So rather than add a cutting-edge, high-resolution video screen, Valerio Dewalt Train treated it as an art piece, an abstraction of a screen that celebrates individual pixels. As technology becomes more integrated into our daily lives, Valerio Dewalt Train wanted to replicate that sense of approachability in the lobby’s design. The idea of creating a video wall along one side of the lobby made sense, given YouTube’s brand, but the challenge was to make sure the space didn’t feel coldly technological-or swiftly look outdated, given the rapid pace of technological change. “The building’s old lobby didn’t reflect the creativity of YouTube or its users.

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