{"id":261689,"date":"2025-08-25T12:16:13","date_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=canvasflow&p=261689"},"modified":"2025-08-25T12:16:15","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T16:16:15","slug":"gensler-ibm-madison-avenue-flagship","status":"publish","type":"id_project","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/projects\/gensler-ibm-madison-avenue-flagship\/","title":{"rendered":"Peek Inside the Revamped IBM Manhattan HQ Fostering Innovation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Gensler\u2019s Crew table, Bolia\u2019s C3 chairs, and recycled-nylon carpet tile furnish an open collaboration area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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August 25, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>\u00a0Stephen Treffinger<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photography: <\/span>Alexander Severin<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Peek Inside the Revamped IBM Manhattan HQ Fostering Innovation<\/h1>\n\n\n

On the heels of Gensler completing IBM\u2019s Toronto office, the tech company tapped Gensler New York for the interiors of its Manhattan headquarters. This project\u2014270,000 square feet across five floors, large enough to bring together 10 teams, formerly in separate offices around the city, under one roof\u2014showcases IBM\u2019s ethos and goals plus myriad instances of cobalt, the corporate color. \u201cIt serves as a model for uniting business units to foster teamwork, innovation, and a future-focused culture,\u201d Gensler senior associate and studio director John Budesa says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those teams and visitors alike are greeted by the 40-foot-long Quantum Wave, a linear ceiling fixture by IBM Blue Studio, a physical representation of the company\u2019s technological prowess. Similarly hued, a terrazzo staircase links the ground-floor lobby with the second floor, where the Blue Bar offers coffee by day, cocktails after hours, and the client-centric innovation studio contains a range of work lounges. Floor 10 is devoted entirely to amenities: a full-service kitchen, caf\u00e9, 300-seat auditorium, and 25,000-square-foot, Internet-enabled terrace\u2014New York\u2019s largest\u2014that contains power outlets and 40 species of live plants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout, furnishings buck the recent trend of being overly soft and loungelike; rather, all are conceived to be both comfortable and efficient, from custom banquettes upholstered in Suzanne Tick fabric to Tom Dixon chairs. \u201cSeating elements are functional no matter where they are in the building,\u201d Budesa notes. Lighting is likewise practical and ambient: Antoni Arola\u2019s Palma globes over tables, for instance, provide focused yet more diffuse illumination than typical overhead lighting. For some contrast in materials, wood and stone elements skew organic, while reflective surfaces and polished metals lean more futuristic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are now more than 2,000 employees working at this IBM. To accommodate various modalities, areas are divided into zones for focused tasks or collaboration, plus flex spaces that allow for relaxation and conversation. High-top tables, phone pods, and booths, grouped in neighborhoods of 20 to 30 inhabitants, enable a more individualized \u201cdesign your day\u201d approach, ensuring the flagship not only meets the needs of current employees but also anticipates those of future talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Anchored by terrazzo flooring, reception seating is composed of a custom banquette upholstered in Suzanne Tick\u2019s Adage polyester blend and Tom Dixon Fat chairs, all backed by white-oak millwork and artwork by IBM Blue Studio.\ufeff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Steelcase Simple chairs, John Pawson\u2019s Trestle table, and Lievore Altherr Molina\u2019s Montara650 caf\u00e9 tables enable meetings or meals in a flex space, where a mural by IBM Blue Studio backs RBW\u2019s Witt 5 pendant fixtures.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The balustrades and terrazzo treads and risers of the custom staircase connecting the ground and second floors are in the corporate color.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Gensler\u2019s Crew table, Bolia\u2019s C3 chairs, and recycled-nylon carpet tile furnish an open collaboration area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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White oak envelops a client work lounge, where the carpet and the rebus AI wall phrase are custom.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Quantum Wave, a 40-foot-long light fixture also by the Blue Studio, greets staff and visitors in the lobby.\ufeff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
PROJECT TEAM<\/h6><\/div><\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

AMANDA CARROLL; JOHN BUDESA; JOHN MULLING; MATT TRIEBNER; SUZY HENRY; MATT MCKEE; JENNY PEI CHANG; ANDREW DAVIS; NICOLE VILCHEZ; ALEX DIAZ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PRODUCT SOURCES <\/h6><\/div><\/h6><\/div>\n\n\n\n

FROM FRONT<\/strong>
LUUM TEXTILES:<\/strong> BANQUETTE FABRIC (RECEPTION). TOM DIXON:<\/strong> CHAIRS. STEELCASE:<\/strong> CHAIRS (FLEX SPACE), LONG TABLE (LOUNGE). VICCARBE:<\/strong> LONG TABLE (FLEX SPACE). COALESSE:<\/strong> CAF\u00c9 TABLES. RBW:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURES. HALCON:<\/strong> TABLE (COLLABORATION), BENCHES (LOBBY). BOLIA:<\/strong> CHAIRS (COLLABORATION). INTERFACE:<\/strong> CARPET TILE. AURA CUSTOM LIGHTING:<\/strong> CEILING FIXTURE. WEST ELM:<\/strong> CHAIRS (LOUNGE). BLU DOT:<\/strong> ROUND TABLES. VIBIA:<\/strong> PENDANT FIXTURES. BENTLEY MILLS:<\/strong> CUSTOM RUG. EVENTSCAPE:<\/strong> CUSTOM LIGHT FIXTURE (LOBBY). LINDNER:<\/strong> ACOUSTIC CEILING. THROUGHOUT SYNERGI:<\/strong> CUSTOM STAIR. PLATINUM:<\/strong> TERRAZZO FLOORING, TREADS, RISERS. MILLER BLAKER:<\/strong> MILLWORK.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n