MBH Architects’ NYC Office Relocates to 50 Hudson Street
The Vibrant Tribeca Office Space Will Expand on the Firm’s Legacy of Delivering Innovative Design Solutions Across Multiple Market Sectors
Award-winning architecture and design firm, MBH Architects, is excited to announce the relocation of its New York City headquarters to 50 Hudson Street, a historic building in the heart of Tribeca. Led by MBH Director, Helen Herrick, the firm’s New York office will serve as an East Coast home-base that will spur further growth for their New York City-based clientele as well as offer luxury and Europe-based brands more individualized services. On October 29, 2020, a limited team of eight officially began working in the new space to allow for social distancing.
Occupying the entire second floor of the 95-year-old building—which once housed the Sarle & Co.’s printing facility—MBH signed a five-year lease for the impressive 5,150-square-foot space. Situated on the corner of Hudson and Thomas Streets, the office offers accessibility and convenience for the New York team, with numerous coffee shops, restaurants, and transportation all within walking distance.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the New York team,” says Helen Herrick, Director at MBH Architects.” We look forward to better serving our impressive roster of existing clients as well as burgeoning new business in the Tri-State area.”
For the refresh, MBH Architects sought to blend the authentic urban grit of New York City with cues from the California-based firm’s Alameda headquarters, in order to reflect the firm’s overall culture. For the interiors, the team opted for an open floor plan that could accommodate 30 individual workstations, featuring expansive windows that provide an abundance of natural light throughout the space. The minimalist material and color palette allows the industrial character of the New York City printing house like brick walls and concrete floors to be showcased as focal points of the space.
Upon entering the office, visitors and staff are welcomed into the reception area. Past the reception, a high-top meeting and storage table, as well as a smaller table and set of chairs, offers an intimate meeting space for impromptu brainstorm sessions or a quick lunch. Further into the space, a glass wall divides various workspaces from a 12-person conference room, encouraging transparency but providing a sense of privacy for larger meetings. Employees and visitors can also walk down a short corridor, which leads to the communal kitchen, restrooms, a library with seating for research, a phone booth, and a wellness room, providing employees with a private space for finding respite.
MBH has outfitted the space with modifications to ensure a safe working environment for employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. A limited group will work from the office on a flexible schedule to avoid commuting at peak times and allow for ancillary ventilation. Simultaneously, the team’s technology infrastructure has been reinforced to adapt to hybrid working. Within the office, desks are spaced to allow for adequate physical distancing and all rooms and common areas have been assigned a limited capacity. Mandatory face coverings and stringent cleaning practices are in place along with other policies and procedures in compliance with New York’s COVID-19 guidelines. A cloud-based contact tracing system allows the firm to communicate expeditiously should the need arise as more in-person work resumes, and a formalized COVID-positive response plan has been implemented to protect the health of the firm’s staff, clients, consultants and vendors.
The new office space is reflective of MBH Architects’ vision and mission for the future, which aims to continue expanding its portfolio, multidisciplinary services, and East Coast presence. Having completed several projects in and around the Tri-State area, including the Allbirds flagship store in Soho and the Good Tidings Foundation Columbus Clubhouse in the Bronx, the firm will continue their work through upcoming projects such as luxury watch brand Tourneau’s new flagship store on 57th and Madison avenue. MBH is further expanding its client base into luxury single-family residential, building on its success in luxury retail and multi-family residential.
About MBH Architects:
Since 1989, California-headquartered MBH Architects has provided expertise to clients who value high-quality services including: architecture, brand building, store planning and design, fixture design, commercial interiors, historic preservation, master planning, and urban planning and design. MBH primarily designs spaces in the retail, restaurant, multi-family housing, mixed-use, workspace, laboratory, hospitality and healthcare sectors. With offices across the US and India and allied partners around the world, MBH offers a superior level of service regardless of location. www.mbharch.com
