SOM’s transformational design and fit out for Penske Media Corporation’s (PMC) new 38,000-square-foot headquarters celebrates the company’s 24 diverse brands while assisting in its transition to a unified and collaborative workspace. The project occupies four discontinuous floors in a Fifth Avenue building that faces the New York Public Library and Bryant Park.
SOM’s design strategy creates a uniform spatial identity and combines all communal spaces in a single floor. By encouraging employees throughout the building to use the shared amenities, the strategic placement of these spaces fosters a sense of community. A simple and fresh aesthetic unifies the specialty functional spaces, which include a new digital photography studio, cafe, kitchen, and library. The public corridors are lined with Belgian wood laminate that seamlessly flow into backlit walls, where artwork from various PMC brands is elegantly displayed.
With exposed ceilings, polished concrete floors, and white painted walls and columns, the workspaces express the building’s raw architecture. The stripped-down look and minimal color palette allow each brand to be expressed within its own workspace. The circulation design encourages a natural flow between workspaces to strengthen the organization’s culture and enhance productivity.
