Orion Worldwide, a global media agency with a young staff, was moving into an existing build-out space in NYC equipped with a minimal budget. They tasked Ted Moudis Associates (TMA) with providing a workplace that would completely transform how, where, and with whom they work.
Working with that premise, TMA devised a design strategy that leaned toward the youthful side, using their creativity to develop playful work environments within tough financial constraints.
“We didn’t start with a clean slate,” said Jeff Knoll, design director at TMA. “It was already built out, and we were on a tight budget, so whatever we could save or reuse, we did.”
The perimeter of the office had previously been ringed with offices, which TMA removed to make way for open working, social and lounge spaces that would complement a 100% free address open office.
Just inside the rectangular perimeter is a walking track lining the core, a main circulation path promoting movement, wellbeing and energy.
The change to free address with no offices or assigned seating was a significant one for Orion. The new offices are roughly 60% collaborative-based and 40% heads-down focus work oriented, with about 20% enclosed spaces. But the combination of a workforce skewing young, gung-ho leadership at Orion, and a strong plan for supporting alternative workstyles set the project up for success.
In addition to traditional workstations, employees can opt to work at standing tables, soft seating lounge areas, tiered seating, diner booths, enclosed meeting rooms and phone rooms, a row of treadmill desks (Mr. Knoll notes that they actually use them here), a large café, or game room area. Formal boardrooms are also available.
“They were a big fan of the booths, which we didn’t know if they were going to be able to afford,” Mr. Knoll noted. “But they really wanted them and eventually gave the go-ahead. Booths provide a good sense of public-private space for people using them. And they’re a little bit more architectural.”
“The CEO said it has completely changed how everyone works,” Mr. Knoll noted. “He was so pleased because he now talks with people he never knew before. Everyone’s walking around more and collaborating more, and he said he feels more informed.”
The TMA design team made use of existing structural elements and inexpensive finishes – colorful paint, design-forward wallcovering, exposed concrete floors, and large-scale graphics. They removed some of the flooring to reveal the concrete slab underneath, and kept the exposed ceiling and exposed lighting in the lobby.
When they removed the walls of old private offices on the perimeter, the design team was left with spaces in the ceiling and no budget to modify the infrastructure to fill those spaces.
“We were trying to figure out how to make those openings feel and look purposeful,” said Mr. Knoll. “We found a funky plant life pattern that we applied to the walls and ceiling. It gives those spaces a fun contrast that we normally wouldn’t have done, but I think it turned out really well.”
“We used a grey paint and some black and white to create a neutral backdrop that would be able to support the color pops we added in.”
Orion’s branding also found a home in the new office. TMA integrated reinterpretations of the Orion logo, a grid of circles, into large-scale graphics and installations spread throughout the floor plate. At the elevator bank, the circles are present in a grid of ticking clocks set against a mirror wall; in the lobby, a wallpaper of abstract circles recalls the logo as well.
A final element that catches every eye entering the space is the use of large-scale art photography. The son of Orion’s CEO is an award-winning photographer, and his dad wanted to use photos from his portfolio in the new office. The particular photos chosen were selected for their sense of emotion – vivid shots of humans that grab a person’s attention.
The photos are inspiring, a nod to the energy and wellbeing of people with purpose, as are the new offices.