Haworth, Inc., one of the world’s largest manufacturers and designers of workspaces and office furniture, opened its newest showroom at 125 Park Avenue in New York City. Spanning 31,000 square feet, the Haworth showroom demonstrates a broad range of work and collaborative spaces representing the best thinking from around the world. It will serve as a resource center for designers, architects, local clients, global clients, consultants and dealers, as well as a portal to the world.
“By integrating modular products, technology and materials with beautiful design, we can help create adaptable workspaces for our clients,” said Franco Bianchi, Haworth President & CEO. “We are more than just a producer of office interiors – we are business partners and this showroom shows how we can help re-use, re-wire and re-task existing assets to retain value. Clients want interiors like this that respond to changing business needs, improve effectiveness and achieve sustainability objectives.”
In 2004, Haworth committed to develop its facilities in accordance with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System. The company has since certified or registered seven projects, meeting the goal of silver or higher ratings for manufacturing facilities and gold ratings for showrooms. Built in partnership with Perkins +Will | Eva Maddox Branded Environments and Turner Construction, the New York showroom will be one of the few LEED-CI Gold spaces in the city.
Located in the heart of Manhattan, at the intersection of 42nd Street and Park Avenue and directly opposite Grand Central Terminal, Haworth transformed the second floor formerly occupied by the Manhattan Satellite Airline Terminal. The building is characterized by a blend of Italian architectural styles with a classic terra cotta brick exterior, designed by York & Sawyer and completed in 1923.
The Haworth space showcases the company’s products and presents progressive new ideas in sustainable design and adaptable workspaces. The design of the showroom reflects the New York market and local trends office space that is predominantly professional corporate offices and law firms. Consistent with other Haworth showrooms, the space is constructed of moveable walls, raised access floors and modular furniture. Features include:
30 foot ceilings and windows provide access to daylight
Saturated, pure and straightforward colors used as a dominant accent focus
Surface treatments, from smooth to textured, provide tactile appreciation through an array of finishes and woven materials
Materials and textures, highlighted by the interplay of light, provide reflectance and translucency
Natural wood and veneers in a variety of tones, from medium to dark
Private offices and open spaces to demonstrate both individual and collaborative workstyles for today’s needs and future applications
The New York showroom will immerse clients in a world-class experience with several areas of special focus: a global seating gallery, a wood salon and a sustainability lab.
The global seating gallery highlights Haworth’s international strength in seating, showcasing executive, caf, ergonomic, guest, side and lounge solutions with multiple design and functional choices. These products represent seating solutions designed by sharing the best practices in performance, ergonomics, sustainability, design, materials and manufacturing processes from around the world. The adjacent design resource area contains upholstery and trim samples to assist in material and color selections.
The showroom’s wood salon provides a dedicated space to visualize and understand the variety of wood and veneer options available from Haworth. This space houses multiple samples from raw veneer to finish samples and edge details. Viewing chambers with multiple lighting options represent actual client spaces. Through presentation, discussion and hands-on activities, the client will understand Haworth’s approach to sustainable forestry practices.
Haworth’s sustainability lab is a dedicated space to assist clients, designers and architects with meeting their sustainable goals. This hands-on space contains LEED information, raised flooring and underfloor air demonstrations, modular construction vs. conventional construction statistics and movable wall demonstrations.
