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Architects: Andrew Franz Architect
- Area: 32500 ft²
- Year: 2017
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Photographs:Eric Laignel
Text description provided by the architects. In a double-height penthouse of a 1913 Beaux Arts building near Manhattan’s Hudson Yards neighborhood, a former publisher’s executive suite is restored and modernized as a connected and transparent workplace. Designed for openness and collaboration, the space balances centrally located open areas with a variety of more intimate areas. A new, floating bridge connects two sides of the historic mezzanine floor, facilitating encounters, while a wide stair becomes a place for gatherings. Circulation paths intersect with different programmatic areas, encouraging movement while also generating happenstance meetings and exchanges of ideas.
The views and abundant daylight are celebrated and democratized; perimeter areas are activated for collective use, corner offices are eliminated, and workstations are gathered at the heart of the space. Glazed meeting rooms clad in carved wood louvers along the perimeter diffuse strong southern sunlight while maintaining views. Rich, textured materials, a diverse mix of vintage and new furnishings, and extensive plantings were selected to bring a sense of human personality to the workspaces.
To revive the open work hall character, an extensive and sensitive restoration was performed, removing partitions and infilled floor areas that had been added over the years. One critical challenge was to maintain the square footage while bringing back the volume's original open proportions. The solution extends the historic mezzanine to a third side of the open space and adds the floating bridge at the other side of the plan, without infringing on the historic fabric. The result establishes connectivity, opens up views, and brings natural light deep into the space for all to enjoy.
