Shaping workplace culture through design

For decades, SOM has designed cutting-edge workplaces with the conviction that architecture has the power to shape an organization’s culture. For our own office in New York City, we took the opportunity to demonstrate what a forward-looking workplace can be. Spanning two interconnected floors at the SOM-designed 7 World Trade Center, our 80,000-square-foot office fosters collaboration and community.

A wide opening at the center of two floors creates the “forum”—a dynamic space for gatherings and events. The floors are connected by a timber stair that leads directly into a shared cafe and lounge, as well as amenities for meditation, prayer, and breaks. Work areas are organized around collaboration zones, embodying the principles of openness, mobility, and teamwork.

A sustainable and healthy workplace

The design prioritizes sustainability and wellbeing through a responsible approach to materials and resources. The signature stair, built of cross-laminated timber, demonstrates our design philosophy of radical reduction—an efficient and economical use of healthy materials, with no extraneous finishes. The floor throughout the open studio utilizes the building’s existing concrete slabs, for example, to eliminate the need for an additional finish material. 

With a focus on material science, SOM created a rigorous set of criteria for selecting a sustainable material palette. We selected carbon-absorbing materials such as cork and white oak for the interior finishes. The renewable materials provide a softness and warmth throughout the space, while also contributing to the office’s healthy air quality: 7 World Trade Center provides some of the cleanest indoor air in the city through a series of high-efficiency particulate air filters.

Harmony in lighting and acoustics

The design team implemented an innovative lighting strategy to complement the floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall. Although the studio relies heavily on natural light, we employed a dynamic lighting and motorized shade system that constantly adjusts itself based on the sun’s position, the time of day, and occupancy patterns. This strategy only uses about half a watt per square foot of energy, which is a 50 percent reduction from the average energy use of most offices. The system maximizes natural light and minimizes artificial lighting requirements.

To reduce the noise in open areas, a fabric-wrapped acoustic panel ceiling absorbs sound across the entire open studio space. What’s more, we upcycled the existing carpeting on each floor for reuse as wall insulation.