Design is key to successful space consolidation

Real Estate Weekly, Dec 14, 1994 by William A. Buscaglia, Abby Rubenstein

When New York Design Collaborative, Inc. first told Bank Austria they could move from 35,000 square feet in Long Island City into 25,000 square feet in Manhattan, save lots of money, and provide all 100 employees with a civilized amount of personalized space, they said "impossible." Now they're saying "thanks."

The Search

Location! Location! Location! was the crucial factor driving their move. Having realized that a Long Island City address put them at a disadvantage - both for hiring new employees and conducting business - Bank Austria's principal made relocating to Manhattan a priority.

Furthermore, Bank Austria needed to be in an area accessible to mass transit and close to other financial institutions. And, as an international bank, it was important for them to have an internationally respected address - one that would communicate prestige throughout the world. At the same time, the bank's office wanted the traditional stature associated with upper floors.

Since the bank had approximately 100 employees and no plans to downsize, they expected to lease a substantial amount of space. However, as they later discovered, that would have been a costly option given the high price per square foot in Manhattan and the lack of large blocks of contiguous space in Midtown, their chosen area. Bank Austria needed a way to fit the same amount of people into roughly 75 percent of the space...and do it comfortably while maximizing efficiency.

NYDCI provided the answer. As designated interior architects for tenant development work for 565 Fifth Avenue - one of Bank Austria's first choices for relocation - NYDCI set up meetings with Bank Austria's principals to learn about the bank's space needs and requirements. NYDCI provided the bank with programming requirement analyses, preliminary planning layouts and budgeting and scheduling outlines, in order to give them a visual reference for what their options were.

Securing the Deal

As it turned out, NYDCI and 565 Fifth Avenue simply made Bank Austria an offer they couldn't refuse.

Extensive studies done by NYDCI and Bank Austria principals revealed that with the development of efficient, appropriate workstation standards, and with proper planning and control of international traffic Bank Austria needed only 25,000 square feet for their employees to work comfortably and 565 Fifth Avenue could meet the bank's needs. As a new building looking for an anchor tenant, 565 Fifth Avenue had everything to offer in terms of security, location, and communications infrastructure. What really made the deal workable was the amount of flexibility that NYDCI was able to provide in the new design of the premises, as well as the opportunity provided by 565 Fifth Avenue for expansion onto contiguous floors should it become necessary.

NYDCI worked with Bank Austria's principals to develop a plan that took into account budget considerations, image concerns and internal working relationships. Incorporating efficient planning and creative design techniques, NYDCI developed a three floor layout - one that included both horizontal and vertical adjacency to facilitate inter-departmental relationships.

The Final Design Concept

The main entrance to Bank Austria and the floor that portrays the true image of the bank is the 29th. The general manager's office, marketing department and the main reception area are all located on this floor. As the "image" floor, it portrays the tue personality of the bank and, consequently, a large portion of the budget was invested in this floor. Natural wood finishes and stone convey a feeling of elegance and stability. Frosted glass panels - instead of drywall partitions - separate the main reception area from the personal work space, thereby providing privacy and a sense of openness...while allowing natural light to flow throughout. Conference rooms on the main level are surrounded by etched glass, again retaining privacy but preventing the sort of closed-off feeling that can often occur in interior work areas.

The 28th floor can be reached from the 29th floor by way of a stainless steel staircase custom designed by NYDCI. A work of art itself, this staircase provides an easy connection between the two floors while adding a centerpiece of design elegance to the reception area.

Following the staircase down to the 28th floor gives you the first glimpse of the practical and functional design scheme NYDCI developed for the 27th and 28th floors. These floors, designed for maximum space use and efficiency, are the heart of Bank Austria.

The 28th floor houses both a high density file storage system and a state-of-the-art trading room that are essential to Bank Austria's operations. NYDCI designed the trading room with special lighting to ease the eye strain on traders who spend their days tracking the market on a computer screen, and incorporated an advanced telecommunications systems to ensure the smooth operation of the trading desks. Meanwhile, high density file storage saves Bank Austria hundreds of square feet of space by eliminating the need for standard file cabinets.