New York State of Mind — Corgan New York Midtown Studio
Echoes of deco
After a year of design and construction, Corgan’s expanded New York Midtown studio now occupies the entire 54th floor of the Empire State Building. Designed to celebrate the panoramic vistas, the studio offers employees and visitors unobstructed sightlines to the city’s most iconic landmarks, abundant natural light, and a refined, muted palette that honors the raw materiality of its landmarked home. Designed by Corgan’s own workplace interiors team, the studio reflects the firm’s enduring commitment to crafting spaces that inspire creativity, foster collaboration, and energize people within them.
The design pays homage to the Empire State Building’s storied history, drawing from the elegance of the Art Deco style of the 1920s and 1930s. Interior motifs echo the era: vertical tilework mirrors the building’s exterior brickwork and mixed-metal details reference the iconic designs found in its celebrated lobby. The light fixture above the main conference room table features the building’s signature chevron pattern, a detail both subtle and unmistakable.
Original elements of the building are woven throughout the space, including concrete floors, refinished original elevator doors, exposed and painted riveted steel columns, and terrazzo flooring original to the 1931 design, unearthed during construction. New material palettes draw inspiration from the building’s grand lobby and exterior — fluted metal, polished stone, brass finishes, and warm lighting work in harmony rather than in competition with their surroundings. The careful curation of materials, textures, fixtures, and accent lighting, including the bold gold-colored Corgan sign in the studio lobby, communicates that even the small moments of sophistication and comfort leave a lasting impression.
Workplace redefined
The 20,000-square-foot office is a showcase in contemporary workplace design: sustainability and well-being practices throughout, a dedicated model shop supports 3D printing and fabrication, and meeting rooms feature amenities designed to enhance engagement and productivity. A recording and broadcasting booth further elevates the studio’s capabilities, harnessing visual storytelling and digital tools to better serve clients and tell the firm’s project stories.
The elevator lobby opens to a spacious reception area and lounge anchored by a conference room with sweeping views west toward the Hudson River. Warm and welcoming, the lounge is ideal for casual conversation, impromptu meetings, and gracious hospitality within a collaborative setting.
The client experience reaches new heights in the thoughtfully designed boardroom, where a large sliding glass door separates the serving bar from the meeting table — a strategic decision that creates two distinctively separate yet cohesive spaces, offering greater flexibility for hosting clients, guests, and events of all kinds.
A central hall connecting the north and south-facing workspaces doubles as a gallery, displaying rotating project images and architectural models that highlight the firm’s work, both past and present.
Dotting the perimeter of the studio, conference rooms are named for the iconic landmarks visible through their windows. Central Park, on the north side, offers diffused light all day while Liberty faces New York Harbor with daily sunset views past the downtown skyline.
Clean, minimally-styled workspaces with neutral materials and deliberate pops of Corgan’s signature yellow complete the office’s creative aesthetic — intentional decisions that bridge past and present while lending familiarity to an environment rich with amenity and character. Multi-use spaces designed for sustained productivity support employee well-being, connectivity, and collaboration. A mix of conference spaces, lounge, library, café, gallery, wellness rooms, and phone booths thoughtfully accommodate everything from structured meetings, informal collaboration, and the quiet ideation behind day-to-day practice work.
Additionally, The Community Wall, an employee favorite, is a rotating shared space for creativity and reflection. Low-pressure by design, it serves as a casual platform for the office to communicate, encourage, and remain connected as a community.
Environmental stewardship
The Empire State Building has an established record of sustainable success. The building first achieved LEED Gold in 2011, and in 2026, the building achieved LEED v5 Platinum, making it the first building to attain this status in New York state. Under the leadership of the Empire Realty Trust (ESRT), the operational carbon of tenants is offset centrally, and an ambitious set of high-performance guidelines adapts to each tenant renovation.
Working closely with ESRT, Corgan is pursuing Fitwel® certification and IFLI Zero Carbon status for the Midtown studio, extending the building’s decarbonization by accounting for and offsetting the renovation’s embodied carbon. Uniquely positioned as both the designer and occupant of the tenant space, Corgan can measure and document decarbonization on a granular level across design, construction, post-occupancy, and ongoing operations for years to come. The lessons learned from the Midtown studio are already being applied across Corgan’s broader office portfolio.
Modern approach
Corgan’s Midtown office renovation reflects a sensitivity to historical context and combines environmental stewardship with everyday practicality. The result is a clear, productive workspace that, by design, invites open dialogue, curiosity, and an enduring spirit of collaboration.
