Our understanding of what constitutes a modern office environment has long been in a state of flux. From early experiments in hot desking, to the more recent advent of Cloud-based workspaces, individuals and companies have enjoyed an ever growing freedom to work in whatever way – and in whatever location – suits them best.

NeueHouse on Manhattan’s East 25th Street is the latest embodiment of this shifting landscape: a shared working space, open to a curated membership of small-scale, entrepreneurial companies. Its interior, created by the Rockwell Group, is a radical departure from the traditional office model, borrowing instead from the world of hospitality design in order to create a space that not only meets the highest standard of technological integration, but will also facilitate interaction between members and perhaps spark fresh inspiration and collaboration. To support this approach, Rockwell worked with Focus Lighting to develop lighting that would deliver a warm and comfortable, yet functional workplace environment within the space’s raw, industrial shell.

The ground floor’s custom, six-foot diameter, glass globe pendants (which lower into the space at night to create a feeling of intimacy) provide the apparent source of illumination, while ceiling-mounted LED fixtures above provide task and accent lighting. To ensure that the pendants have the perfect light quality and correct physical size, Focus built and hung full-scale mock-ups both within their own double-height studio space and on site. The fixtures, manufactured by Lucos Group, feature glass globes supported on a metal structure with an antique brass finish.
On the upper office floors, a three-foot diameter version provides the same ambient glow within each floor’s central lounge, while indirect fluorescent lighting, hidden in the top rail of the studio’s flexible partition walls provide the primary workspace lighting.
www.rockwellgroup.com
www.focuslighting.com