MKDA creates 35,000 s/f penthouse office space at 315 Park Avenue South

Manhattan, NY MKDA has completed 35,000 s/f of office space on the 19th and 20th floors at 315 Park Ave. South for a large London-based global investment firm. In addition to a private entrance on Park Ave. South that includes a lobby and two private elevators, the new space provides a double-height penthouse with skylights and large windows framing views of Midtown South, Madison Square Park and the Manhattan skyline.

Using the building’s existing architectural bones of exposed beams and ceilings, concrete floors, and abundant skylights and windows, MKDA created a workplace for the investment firm, which wants its global workplaces to reflect the cities in which they are located. The design concept also allowed for collaborative spaces that weren’t too trendy, and a lot of event and expansion space for anticipated future growth.

“The firm wanted this location to be suitable for the long-haul, so we needed to be strategic and forward-thinking about the allocation and use of space across the two floors, while addressing the firm’s current needs as well,” said MKDA president Michael Kleinberg. “The natural choice was to select a single floor for current personnel and a second floor for future personnel and event space.”

MKDA placed the minimal and modern work areas on the 20th floor. The landing sets the tone with a light-infused and loft-inspired canvas reminiscent of a museum with polished concrete floors stained a warm dark grey; a clean and minimal reception desk with an illuminated logo; two elegant seating areas with plush custom rugs and mirrored copper globe lights; and a coffee bar and lounge.

Inspired by the firm’s sleek and powerful visual brand, the design team used a basic black-white-and-grey color palette with pops of the firm’s corporate red and desaturated jewel color tones to add polish and a worldly sophistication. Hung vintage and contemporary artwork and planters fill in the white space while materials in various textures add interest.

Private perimeter offices, conference rooms, collaboration rooms, and lounges across the floor have glass fronts with metal frames in a grid pattern to create a visual barrier between head-down and collaborative work. Meeting spaces were dressed in wool carpets that improve acoustics, elegant drapes that frame city views, and mirrored copper globes lights centered over conference tables.

Tucked away behind the reception desk, and beneath the skylights, MKDA devised an industrial-inspired deconstructed staircase with blackened cable rails set in a black metal frame and dark thermally treated treads and risers. The team created a “ceiling” out of black-and-white globe lights to add vertical lines and textures and to allow the eyes to rest at the center of the open space.

The expansion and event space on the 19th floor is the firm’s social hub. The space is similarly open and airy with reconfigurable tables for collaboration; a coffee bar and cafe lounge; a self-serve buffet area and a fully-functioning kitchen for employees’ personal use and catered events.

The entire floor is minimally furnished with numerous planters to bring the outdoors inside, but the town hall space features a custom area rug that references the firm’s brand colors as well as the firm’s commitment to the use of research and scientific data. Artwork, such as neon signs, a vintage Cold War-era cruise poster, and a custom full-height digital print of the original future pits of the NY exchange were added to spark discussions. 

“We are proud to have partnered with this outstanding firm, which can now enjoy a high-performance workplace that reflects its corporate culture: smart, forward-thinking, modern, worldly and sophisticated,” said Kleinberg. “Employing the best and the brightest, we anticipate that their new home will provide the proper infrastructural support to nurture employee creativity and innovation through educational and social events and collaboration. We wish them much success in the years ahead.”