Unlocking the midtown floorplate
WORKPLACE
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WORKPLACE
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King & Spalding at 1290 Avenue of the Americas provides a light, collaborative and finely detailed workplace in the heart of Midtown: a 190,000sqft statement of the firm’s commitment to New York City and to providing an exceptional client and staff experience. The project has transformed four floors of the building, introducing large new terraces and social spaces, impressive events venues and flexible workspaces in tactile natural materials.
Emma Green, Principal Director
King & Spalding’s New York office spans four floors of 1290 Avenue of the Americas, a landmark tower close to the Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall. TP Bennett led the design and collaborated with architect of record, Design Republic, who managed technical design and delivery. The vision was for a flexible, future-looking global hub for the law firm’s international teams, with distinctive spaces for client events.
A key objective was to bring natural light deep into the floor plates and make the most of the spectacular corridor views. Emma Green, Principal Director at TP Bennett, explained how “bold architectural interventions, such as cutting through concrete slabs to bring light into the heart of the building, transformed what could have been a challenging deep-plan environment into a vibrant, collaborative hub.” The reception area, a series of open plan workspaces and client-facing suites are positioned along the façade. Individual offices are glass-fronted to ensure equitable access to light, with their dimensions standardised to reduce the sense of corporate hierarchy.
Approximately one-third of the floor area is dedicated to collaborative spaces, including meeting rooms, a 200-person multi-person room with a wall-to-wall high-definition screen, breakout zones and popular cafe, ‘the Side Bar’. Two internal feature staircases link the working floors and social spaces, while a statement corner stair connects the client-facing conference suite across levels 13 and 14 to support larger events.
The four terraces are defining features of the new headquarters, creating a rare opportunity to connect indoor workspaces with outdoor amenity in the heart of New York City. Two overlook Avenue of the Americas and others face north and south across Midtown Manhattan. The largest, at 4,000 sqft, accommodates up to 180 people for events, supported by adjacent ante spaces.
Materiality and finish were carefully considered to create a coherent identity across the headquarters. Natural honed marble, warm timber, brushed bronze and limestone provide continuity, while subtle variations in texture and colour define individual areas. Balancing client and staff needs, the plan encourages movement, interaction and offers unique amenities, inside and out: a strategic approach to office design that supports King & Spalding’s global operations and a milestone for TP Bennett’s growing presence in the region.
Paul Munro, Project Director
