Photo: All photos by Frank Oudeman
EisnerAmper, a national accounting and business advisory company, tapped long-time collaborator Francis Cauffman Architects (FCA) to develop its headquarters in New York City. FCA previously completed EisnerAmper’s San Francisco and Philadelphia offices, so the architects were already in tune with the core values of the consulting firm. They sought to create a workplace that was unique but still aligned with EisnerAmper’s vision. Not only is EisnerAmper continuing to add locations it has also expanded the scope of work is offers clients, which is referenced in the new space.
“EisnerAmper was a traditional accounting firm, and they’ve transformed into a comprehensive business consultancy,” said Mark Harbick, FCA design principal for the project. Indeed, EisnerAmper has transformed and grown exponentially since the office in San Francisco was completed in 2018. With the Bay Area office, EisnerAmper began to embrace the idea of a highly flexible workplace. The lessons learned then proved to be invaluable in designing this latest base of operations.
“EisnerAmper has become much more agile. They rearrange employees’ locations based on their workload, the projects they are working on, and the teams they collaborate with. This model began in San Francisco, and it set the tone for the New York office,” said Anthony Colciaghi, FCA principal-in-charge of the headquarters. While the concepts for modern workspaces were similar, the scales were completely different.
The 12,000-square-foot California office is compact in comparison to the Manhattan location, which is 125,000-square-feet and spans five floors. Yet the expansive interior is still inviting. “We built the office around these neighborhoods, and small, intimate spaces so that when you walk into the space you don’t feel the vastness of it at all,” Harbick noted.
More square footage gave EisnerAmper management an opportunity to evaluate how they were utilizing their work zones and how they could increase their effectiveness. “When EisnerAmper came to New York, they took a really hard look at their footprint,” explained Colciaghi. This assessment led to the realization that the company didn’t need assigned seating, and that more choices would actually foster productivity. They have now implemented hot desking, and a smartphone app allows staff to reserve an individual desk or a conference room whenever they need to.
FCA began work on the office in the fall of 2019, in collaboration with project management firm VVA, and JTMagen, one of the leading interior fit-out contractors in New York. Although they stopped work for a few months at the height of the pandemic, FCA credits these partners with ensuring that despite a few glitches, they carried on, and the workplace was completed last year as it was originally imagined. It’s a feat that still amazes Harbick today.
“Things were being done so far out of sequence. We received and installed some of the furniture on some of the floors while they were still doing the drywall. The teams were able to pivot and keep everything moving. Whether it was architecturally, the furniture, or the layout, nothing really changed.”
The result is more destination than job site – the antithesis of a staid accounting office. “The ground-floor lobby initiates the welcome to EisnerAmper, for both employees and visitors. It was designed like an airport-style business lounge, but it’s really a self-sufficient small office. It has a conference room, phone booths, and a pantry with food and beverages. When you come off of noisy Third Avenue and enter the building, it sets your expectations,” he added.
When employees reach the seventh-floor lobby and the elevator doors open, they are treated to compelling digital messaging and environmental graphics, developed by FCA in tandem with branding firms AirSpace and EXP. The previous Manhattan location was decorated with traditional prints, but this enhanced signage and artwork weaves the company story throughout the site like a modern tapestry.
“There’s a subtle bent toward technology in the branding palette. It has a pixelated look that conveys that EisnerAmper is steeped in logic and skill. It’s a complete branding scheme that reinforces the company culture,” Colciaghi noted. The media wall telegraphs that EisnerAmper has a global client base, and they can be alongside them anywhere, whether in person or by video conference. The perforated metal wall and ceiling system is back-lit, which creates cloud-like formations that seem to pulse with energy.
The vitality continues at the three-story atrium, a feature that is a rarity in the city. In larger corporate offices, people are often spread out on multiple floors, so they tend to be isolated. Because all five of the office floors here are connected via the stairs, there’s a natural flow of activity, and colleagues can interact more frequently.
“The atrium was one of the joys of finding this space. When we realized that we had the opportunity to connect the community vertically, it was a real game-changer for us. It allows employees to have serendipitous moments as they travel through the office,” Harbick said.
The seventh floor also boasts an amenity zone with a grab-and-go food station, a tech lab, and the centerpiece, a landscaped terrace. The terrace has Wi-Fi and tables so that staff can work, and the raised wooden deck can be used for fitness classes. This outdoor area promotes health and wellness, allowing staff to get fresh air and sunlight during the day.
There are four neighborhoods per floor, with pops of yellow, blue, and green tones that balance out the grey and black industrial palette. A variety of rooms give staff places for individual or group work. There are enclosed areas, with furniture that can be moved around so that a team can host impromptu meetings. The open pods include a single-seat banquette with a tabletop, lighting and power options. “The little booths, or what I call pods, are wonderful because they’re in a circulation space that’s designed so that you go from one neighborhood to the next along the windows, which let in light. You’re in the middle of it all, but can still have this time of solitude,” Harbick added.
Both the indoor and outdoor areas of the headquarters provide EisnerAmper staff with a workplace that makes regular activities new experiences they can take pride in. “The office has an eclectic but very refined mix of spaces, and they unveil in this wonderful way as you move through them,” Colciaghi said.