Image Credit : Bilyana Dimitrova
Project Overview
Founded in 2003, Shutterstock is a technology company, operating in more than 150 countries that brings photos, vectors, illustrations, and video to creative professionals from thousands of contributors around the world. Shutterstock hired STUDIOS to assist with their relocation to the 20th and 21st floor of the Empire State Building. The new location houses 450 staff in a loft-like atmosphere that integrates technology, productivity, and a sense of community.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Tom Krizmanic, AIA -Principal-in-Charge
Brian Hackathorn - Project Manager
Abbey Kesten - Designer
Robert Flaws - Designer
Project Brief
Shutterstock’s reception on the 21st floor greets workers and guests with a large video wall that showcases content from Shutterstock.com. A dramatic 10 foot wide wide staircase leads to the pantry and café. The custom two-story, aluminum screen plays backdrop to the stair and was inspired by the Empire State Building’s original Art Deco heater grills. The pantry and cafe are designed to provide the daily, catered staff lunches with lots of flexible seating and a long series of islands for serving. This bright, airy space also has its own AV system, making it ideal for all-hands meetings and industry tech events. Artwork and photos from Shutterstock Offset line the walls to create an art gallery.? ?Additional spaces include a research lab for product testing and studio spaces for creating audio, video, and photographic content. A steampunk-inspired library for reading is tucked away behind a hidden door. Additional amenities include three massage rooms, a yoga studio, and two game rooms with ping-pong table and arcade games. When the weather is nice, employees can also enjoy one of the two 21st floor terraces.
Project Need
STUDIOS worked to understand not just Shutterstock’s business, but also how their employees work. Shutterstock’s “product” – compelling, breathtaking imagery – speaks for itself and STUDIOS created a variety of opportunities to showcase it. Seating in various nooks and crannies – such as under the connecting stair - encourages casual interactions between staff, while plenty of small, enclosed meeting rooms provide privacy for groups to work. Integrated technology, such as the 4K TVs and large, mounted monitors in the workspace, allow workers to easily access data and imagery from any where in the office.
Design Challenge
STUDIOS’ design challenge was to create a workspace suited to Shutterstock’s business, employees, and culture within the Empire State Building. STUDIOS used concrete floors with neutral walls and pops of color in the furniture to create the tech-start-up, loft aesthetic within the iconic office tower. Re-interpreting the Empire State Building’s Art Deco details in the connecting stair gives a sense of authenticity without sacrificing modernity. In addition, the tower’s sizeable core (73 elevators!) presented numerous planning challenges.
Sustainability
Most of the project’s sustainable features were part of the 2010 renovation of the Empire State Building. This extensive $550 million renovation included $120 million spent to transform the building into a more energy efficient and eco-friendly structure. Thousands of new windows, new HVAC systems, and vertical transport led to LEED Gold certification for the Empire State Building in 2011, making it the tallest LEED certified building in the United States.
Interior Design - Corporate or Hospitality
This award celebrates innovative and creative building interiors, with consideration given to space creation and planning, furnishings, finishes, aesthetic presentation and functionality. Consideration also given to space allocation, traffic flow, building services, lighting, fixtures, flooring, colours, furnishings and surface finishes.
More Details