Office Space News
Wurk Unveils Design for 1515 Broadway Office Suites
Published August 21st, 2009 by Jennifer LeClaire
Wurk Environments is putting its money where its marketing speak is. The company that bills itself as a premium alternative to traditional office business centers has just hired a prestigious international architecture firm to design its first Wurksite.
Swanke Hayden Connell Architects has been contracted to design two floors spanning 65,000 square feet at 1515 Broadway, a 54-story tower smack dab in the middle of Times Square in Manhattan.
“We firmly believe that the time has come for distinctly-designed environments for flex users, created by signature architects, with amenities that include concierge services and cool common areas where tenants can network and interact,” says Joseph DeTrano, vice president Sales and Business Development, noting that Wurk plans to open two more Manhattan locations this year, then export the concept to tier one cities nationally and internationally. “Our idea at Wurk is that we are not about work in the literal sense. To the extent that we can, we want to provide an inviting environment, a space as comfortable and welcoming as home, so there’s no desperate need to escape or retreat.”
Wurk chose Swanke because of its outstanding reputation and award-winning portfolio. Swanke has designed internationally acclaimed projects such as King’s Mill Hospital in the United Kingdom and Project Slava in Moscow. Swanke connects with Wurk’s its ethos: to offer environments designed by world-renowned architects and designers, with interiors that reflect the personality and inimitable characteristics of the surrounding neighborhood.
Nurturing the Vision
As Wurk describes it, 1515 Broadway’s luxury interior spaces — the furnishings, lighting, layout, textures, and color scheme — are all designed inside to mirror the excitement of outside. Referred to as the ‘Crossroads of the World,’ Times Square is 24/7 packed with tourists, residents and business people frequenting the theatre, the restaurants, the movies, or just touring to experience the tremendous energy of an iconic world landmark.
“Swanke helped us realize and nurture our vision,” says Gorguin Shaikoli, Wurk vice president of Marketing and Brand Development. “We gave them imagery and our design concept and they took it to the limit creating atypical space with a bold design; space that actually makes a strong statement in terms of color, finishes and furniture. Conversely, traditional flex space, which never varies from site to site, is designed as plain vanilla with no accents–the rationale being that the tenant may imprint his or her taste in the space.”
A Luxury Executive Office Suite
When you walk into the Wurksite, you are greeted with glass panels that allow expansive light to flow from perimeter offices into the interior offices. The ambiance is similar to a boutique hotel which, through colors, textures, and special niche spaces, invites social interaction. There are subtle differences between the 11th and 12 floors. The 11th floor is modern-chic, suiting media and entertainment types. The 12th floor is conservative-contemporary, designed to accommodate corporate, legal or financial services. There is also a lounge, aptly named Plā that tenants can rent for parties, events, conferences or other uses.
“What truly sets Wurk Environments apart from traditional business centers is its unmatched aesthetics and boutique amenities. With this, we have created not only a workspace, but a home for tenants to convene, meet, greet, relax, network and hopefully generate new business,” says Hannah Dahlquist, IIDA, LEED AP and Senior Designer who led the Swanke team on the Wurk project.
There are “boulevards” on each floor, thoroughfares extending through the office space, accented by coffee niches which mimic bustling Broadway below. As you walk your way through the boulevards, your senses are stimulated by the seating areas, the lighting, the ability to relax and converse with a co-worker or meet a co-tenant. It’s the 21st century version of the watering hole–a common gathering center, a town hall, a village square, a place where people can take a break and network.
“Wurk is all about more than renting flex office space,” Shaikoli says. “We recognize, in this downturn, that many of our tenants will be downsizing from Fortune 500 interiors and expect a certain standard of work environment. We don’t want them to feel penalized in their temporary quarters or to feel as if they are trading down. Our aim is to offer them the same quality of space they were used to, with the added advantage of giving them interesting and attractive common spaces that encourage socialization and networking. Swanke has helped us achieve precisely the kind of ambiance we envisioned for Wurk-Times Square, and so far we are seeing a strong response from prospective tenants, keen to move into cool space in one of New York’s busiest commercial neighborhoods.”
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Rob Zeus August 21st, 2009 at 9:43 am
This is a big deal. This changes the whole persona of the executive office suites industry and opens the door to attract high net worth individuals who don’t want to the status quo office. These architects are doing great work around the world. There’s no telling how much they are paying to have these designers come in. I am sure that is reflected in the price.
Elizabeth Sanchez August 21st, 2009 at 9:47 am
Sounds like a modern architectural masterpiece so far as offices go. This is the kind of project that will raise attention for the executive office suites industry. People don’t connect luxury with serviced offices much. I see a move toward high-end office suites, though, that could pay off for those who are willing to take the risk.
Maggie Correta August 21st, 2009 at 10:06 am
This is a really high-profile project. There should be plenty of buzz around this. They’ve got the location, the location and did I say the location? They’ve also got a premier architecture firm and a strong reputation in the market for top-notch flex workspaces. Wurks is really poised to shift this industry by getting out there into new territory.
Bill Brookshire August 21st, 2009 at 11:39 am
Can you imagine going to work in an environment that looked like a boutique hotel without having to sign a long-term lease? Those opportunities are few and far between. I’ve seen executive office suites companies locate in some pretty nice buildings, but this takes luxury flex suites to a whole new level. I’d love to see this in person. Somehow I don’t think the photos do it justice.
Melanie Jones August 21st, 2009 at 11:42 am
Seems like there’s something for everyone at this Wurksite. Since they aren’t actually developing the office space, they are probably getting a killer rate on the lease in the down economy. Of course, they are probably spending a lot on the build out, but it’s going to pay dividends. This is really a unique office suites company. I’m glad to seem the growing.