New York City-based interiors firm The Switzer Group is pleased to share its final design for Wells Fargo’s new 30 Hudson Yards corporate workspace. Spanning across 500,000 square feet, the new Manhattan flagship for the multinational financial services organization occupies floors 14 and 15, as well as 60-66 of KPF Architecture’s stunning skyscraper. Establishing a cultural undercurrent through a strategically crafted interior scheme, The Switzer Group designed a contemporary, high-performance workplace to support the future of Wells Fargo.
Arrive
Located on the northeast corner of the 14th floor, Wells Fargo’s main reception brings both visitors and staff directly into the main trading floor. A stadium-style feature stair creates a pattern of vertical circulation and continuity of workspace to the 15th floor. Designed as a central hub for the organization, the reception is further activated by a two-story media wall that projects a rotation of images intended to enhance both workflow and the day-to-day experience. The two trading floors, suited to accommodate 1,200 users, serve as the roots of the Wells Fargo’s 30 Hudson Yards operation. The anchor of the new workspace gives way to an overarching tree concept, seeking to connect the base of the organization with its staff, which sits 50 floors up.
Work
Establishing a new workplace standard for Wells Fargo, the two trading levels were designed with the latest in commercial technology, providing the organization with an innovative, futureproof scheme. Ergonomic trading desks sit atop an 18-inch raised floor, designed to provide under-floor air delivery (UFAD) for increased energy efficiency and comfort, as well as flexibility in cable management. Optimizing access to daylighting, communal spaces are centralized and stacked at the entrance for convenience and consistent way finding.
Large meeting rooms and agile conference spaces are distributed throughout the 14th and 15th floors, allowing a variety of different workspace types for team members to congregate and collaborate. Pantries and shared meeting rooms are located both adjacent to the elevator lobbies for ease of access, and at the building corners to take advantage of 30 Hudson Yards’ sweeping views. The location of the corner conference rooms also resolves differences in the base building geometry on each face of the building—a key challenge in Switzer Group’s overall design of the workspace.
Further into the space’s deep floorplate, a custom-designed circadian lighting system follows Wells Fargo staff, ensuring that overhead illumination matches that of the sun throughout the day. The highly-engineered system—the product of a collaboration between Switzer Group and partners Kugler Ning Lighting, Syska Hennessy Group, Structure Tone, Weltmann Lighting, Apogee, Newmat, USG, and Lutron—promotes employee wellness and productivity by optimizing the response of the human brain to the natural progression of lighting temperatures throughout the day. Simultaneously, the overhead system aids in acoustical absorption and light diffusion, aesthetically recalling the sails of a boat in the nearby Hudson River.
Employing a materiality reminiscent of the High Line and the old warehouses of the nearby Chelsea neighborhood, Switzer Group utilized concrete, steel, wood, and glass for an industrial, yet refined scheme within the primary work space. That materiality grows warmer as staff move further up the ‘tree’ into administrative spaces. A sculptural, wood-paneled elevator lobby—inspired by Chelsea’s art scene—abstracts the idea of a large branch, which curves toward the light and leads visitors further into the heart of the business.
Administration
Nearly 50 stories above Wells Fargo’s trading floors, administrative and offices are anchored by a large, centrally-located pantry space, adjacent to the south entry from the elevator lobby. The communal area includes a variety of open and enclosed collaboration areas, and a bar-height counter for gathering. The pantry also has a shared panoramic view to the southern tip of Manhattan, providing employees with access to natural light, as well as a sense of place in the larger context of the workplace scheme.
Dedicated workspace includes private offices and 120-degree workstations—each desk offering sit-to-stand functionality for 200 users per floor. Meeting rooms are located at each of the four corners of the building to provide proximity to team members from various departments, as well as to provide access to views of the city and resolve the challenge of building geometry. Employing a fully-demountable office front system by Adotta, The Switzer Group inventively designed a future-proof administrative zone, easily able to accommodate changes to the need for private workspace as time passes.
Overhead, the circadian lighting system located on the trading floor is reinterpreted into a custom 30x30 integrated lighting fixture. Designed to reduce glare and provide visual interest throughout the various office spaces, the configuration allows for a fully accessible ceiling.
Meet
Situated on the 63rd floor, enveloped between the administrative stack, is the multi-functional Client Zone and Conference Center. Designed to bring guests into the heart of the organization, the designated client space features elegant, specialized meeting rooms, a fully equipped serving kitchen, and integrated audio visual technology.
The space is outfitted with pieces from Wells Fargo’s private art collection and anchored by a large, multi-purpose room—designed for seamless reconfiguration to accommodate board meetings, lectures, banquets, and cocktail hours. Each breakout room offers acoustical privacy, while switchable glass provides visual privacy upon request. A living room for more private meetings finishes the series of client spaces.
The Conference Center offers a series of large, available-upon-request meeting rooms for Wells Fargo staff, as well as a spacious pantry area for open collaboration and various types of programming. Served by a concierge to assist with catering and technology, additional amenities within the Conference Center include the central mail room and print production area.
The Result
Designed for LEED CI v3 Platinum, Wells Fargo’s new 30 Hudson Yards location offers state-of-the-art workplace solutions—uniquely suited for the company’s future growth. An impressive feat, the space offers employees and visitors alike an environment that fosters productivity, while paying special attention to the wellbeing of its inhabitants.
