NYC Atelier: Facilitating co-creation

As the wants and needs of the global workforce change, so do the spaces where we live, work and relax. As the Rethinking Workplace research, Storeys Journal and a wealth of other reports have highlighted, designers are increasingly creating more bespoke, personalised solutions for their clients.

This was certainly the case for NYC Atelier – a co-creation workspace designed by Huntsman Architectural Group for Tarkett. The 10,000 square foot (930 square metre) space comprises a sophisticated environment for collaboration and creativity for New York’s A&D community.

Look & listen

To kick-start the process, we first listened to what NYC architects and designers wanted out of this type of setting. The response was a collaborative workspace where they could be inspired and perhaps learn something, a creative space to lay out projects for discussion, a central location for meeting and socialising, and the opportunity to view and take product samples.

From this insight, our approach was two-fold. Huntsman Architectural Group was tasked with developing a space made up of customisable zones, and we forged a partnership with trend studio Edelkoort Inc. to host a series of curated exhibits.

“We wanted to build a destination for customers to be regularly inspired and enlightened.”
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Key design features

For the zoned areas, interior elements such as floor colour, colour temperature, lighting fixtures, textural drapery and access to natural light helped create some separation within the overall cohesive scheme. 

The individual spaces themselves include a theatre for presentations, a co-working zone, a conference area, an exhibition space, a sampling area, a ‘SHH! Room’ for deep work, a café and an office with sit/stand desks.

To further encourage movement around the Atelier, a neon sign from Let There Be Neon is emblazoned with “Let’s Dance”, inviting visitors to venture further into the connecting rooms. With names such as The Floss, The Robot and The Hustle, plus workstations including the Lindy Hop, Jive and Jitterbug, a sense of fluidity and soul flows throughout. 

Creative collaboration

Sparked by the A&D communities’ desire to learn, exhibitions were an important part of the NYC Atelier offering. When it came to choosing a partner, New York-based trend forecasting studio, Edelkoort Inc. led by Li Edelkoort and Philip Fimmano, was the clear choice.

A world leader in trend research, design consultancy and exhibit curation, the institute is hosting two exhibitions and four panel discussions over the next 12-months. Topics include circular economy, commercial interior trends and creativity at large.

The current exhibit, Circular by Design, features the work of 10 international designers, launched with a panel discussion between Jessica Schreiber of Fabscrap, Dhruv Raina of Tarkett and designers Suzanne Tick and Zero Waste Daniel.

“We hope the A&D community will be inspired by our consciously-minded and material-driven contributors, connecting with them in the spirit of collaboration.”
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Facilitating co-creation

It’s extremely rare now that one environment serves just one single purpose. Hybrid spaces are becoming increasingly prevalent across the workplace, hospitality, retail and residential sectors, with users demanding different settings to suit specific activities.

For designers, this means the opportunity for unbridled creativity. What would have once been a product showroom is now a hub of innovation, utilising elements of workplace, hospitality and retail, all under one roof. The benefits of developing such a space are many, for both brand and customer alike, with the underlying outcome being co-creation.

We believe that collaboration is the key to a sustainable future. And that is something that can only be achieved through the help of supportive environments such as NYC Atelier.