Peek Inside the Revamped IBM Manhattan HQ Fostering Innovation
On the heels of Gensler completing IBM’s Toronto office, the tech company tapped Gensler New York for the interiors of its Manhattan headquarters. This project—270,000 square feet across five floors, large enough to bring together 10 teams, formerly in separate offices around the city, under one roof—showcases IBM’s ethos and goals plus myriad instances of cobalt, the corporate color. “It serves as a model for uniting business units to foster teamwork, innovation, and a future-focused culture,” Gensler senior associate and studio director John Budesa says.
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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’s 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, café, 300-seat auditorium, and 25,000-square-foot, Internet-enabled terrace—New York’s largest—that contains power outlets and 40 species of live plants.
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. “Seating elements are functional no matter where they are in the building,” Budesa notes. Lighting is likewise practical and ambient: Antoni Arola’s 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.
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 “design your day” approach, ensuring the flagship not only meets the needs of current employees but also anticipates those of future talent.
PROJECT TEAM
PROJECT TEAM
AMANDA CARROLL; JOHN BUDESA; JOHN MULLING; MATT TRIEBNER; SUZY HENRY; MATT MCKEE; JENNY PEI CHANG; ANDREW DAVIS; NICOLE VILCHEZ; ALEX DIAZ.
PRODUCT SOURCES
PRODUCT SOURCES
FROM FRONT
LUUM TEXTILES: BANQUETTE FABRIC (RECEPTION). TOM DIXON: CHAIRS. STEELCASE: CHAIRS (FLEX SPACE), LONG TABLE (LOUNGE). VICCARBE: LONG TABLE (FLEX SPACE). COALESSE: CAFÉ TABLES. RBW: PENDANT FIXTURES. HALCON: TABLE (COLLABORATION), BENCHES (LOBBY). BOLIA: CHAIRS (COLLABORATION). INTERFACE: CARPET TILE. AURA CUSTOM LIGHTING: CEILING FIXTURE. WEST ELM: CHAIRS (LOUNGE). BLU DOT: ROUND TABLES. VIBIA: PENDANT FIXTURES. BENTLEY MILLS: CUSTOM RUG. EVENTSCAPE: CUSTOM LIGHT FIXTURE (LOBBY). LINDNER: ACOUSTIC CEILING. THROUGHOUT SYNERGI: CUSTOM STAIR. PLATINUM: TERRAZZO FLOORING, TREADS, RISERS. MILLER BLAKER: MILLWORK.
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