6 minute read
Lighting the Way Back to Work at WeWork
Lighting the Way Back to Work at WeWork
By Randy Reid with Katie Smith
DESIGN TEAM:
Jennifer Jenkins (Lighting), Catherine Ward (Interior Design), Ivan Aguirre (Architecture), Teresa Wozniak (Art & Graphics)
LUMINAIRES:
Undercabinet: Feelux, FLX Stix ND LED striplight
Uplighting: Lumenwerx, VIA 2 LED Pendant
Linear Track: Reggiani’s Yori Track Family
Pendant: FoxConn Office Pendant
Decorative Pendants: Graypants Lighting
Lattice Grid: Cooledge Lighting
In the midst of the ongoing pandemic, ‘working from home’ has become more and more common. Even with its growing popularity and accessibility, sometimes a change of environment encourages better workflow. That’s where WeWork comes into play. WeWork leases a commercial floor or an entire building and turns them into a community space for group and individual work areas, cultivating a refreshing and welcoming work environment outside of a traditional office design. WeWork, as one of the leading global workspace providers, is known for its well-designed, open-plan and multipurpose offices which are crafted with community, collaboration and productivity in mind.
At WeWork, lighting is an integral part of the company’s overarching global design playbook – thoughtfully crafted to encourage a productive, uplifting and comfortable workspace for its members. Across its global network of 700+ locations, the omnipresent signature lighting fixtures and neon signs aim to provide homage to the history of the building or local neighborhood. Also constant are the unique lighting setups highlighting different corners and illuminating different spaces in each location. The lighting is designed to be comfortable and motivating while supporting wellbeing.
I had the benefit of visiting (and working from) WeWork One Gotham, where the company occupies 11 floors of the 26-story building, central to Long Island City. Home to a diverse community of members, from entrepreneurs and small startups to larger enterprise organizations, the space is vibrant, warm and buzzing with the sense of community.
There is no doubt, I felt a certain level of work electricity when sharing space with others, an energy that almost seemed contagious, making my afternoon at WeWork more productive than time spent in my home office or office-office.
The location of One Gotham is perfect, neighboring places such as Silvercup Studios, MoMa PS1, The Museum of Moving Image, and more. Additionally, the MTA subway station is less than a block away. The prime location makes ‘going to work’ feel a little less mundane, and a lot more thrilling.
The building is welcoming, with natural light flowing from the large floor-to-ceiling windows, and WeWork fully utilizes electric lighting as a tool to bring personality and atmosphere into the space. 3000K was utilized throughout the building.
Jenn Jenkins, head of the lighting team, aimed to utilize light to complement the architecture, interior material palette, and personality of each space in the building. In doing so, Jenn wanted to highlight the importance of how lighting impacts a positive, collective workspace. In the four years it took to complete the project, Jenn and her team worked closely with WeWork’s interior designers and architects to create a homogenous end result. The lights range from custom neon signs and under counter LEDs to decorative pendants, with each serving to illuminate different corners of the office.
When entering the building, undercounter linear LED brightens up the unique look of the welcome desk, which has an unfinished Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF.) The desk is designed with a simple under counter linear LED 3000K strip by Feelux Lighting featuring 0-10V controls. The overhead track with direct and indirect lighting from Reggiani shine down on the desk, giving guidance to guests on where to begin.
Throughout the building there are continuous lines of light provided by Lumenwerx which provide accent against the raw, concrete industrial style walls. The goal is to not only bring texture but also add tonal visual interest to the wall. The island in the community kitchen space is similar to the welcome desk with the under counter LED, enhancing textures and tones on its light-wash brick. Above the kitchen space lies a wave-shaped neon light, designed by WeWork’s inhouse art and graphic team. This wave is a fun addition that brings attention to the wood above the tile backsplash.
A challenge faced with the design is the double height space of the open loft style building. Being so large, it can be complicated to ensure that the space is filled with light in a way that doesn’t make it overwhelming. Originally the shades were manually controlled, but having different shades at various levels throughout the day and evening created an untidy look. After studying the situation, WeWork’s lighting team simply locked the shades in place at the half way mark—letting enough light through while creating a warm and welcoming environment.
The long library, filled with natural light thanks to the large windows, is adorned with suspended pendent lighting from Graypants, adding a modern chic look to the space.
Rather than feeling trapped within the confines of an office, the large windows allow the outside to become one with the office, providing an airy work space. Moving along, the individual nooks – which allow for concealed work and quiet conversations for individuals - are surrounded with up-light millwork details that highlight color and texture. These nooks are surrounded by greenery, giving a fresh and uplifting feel to the office. There is a ledge on the outside of the windows complete with a wide range of natural plants, including several evergreens. The greenery is right at eye-level and provides a calming effect looking across the river to Manhattan.
If a group meeting is required, WeWork also has a large classroom, complete with a back illuminated ceiling that has an intricate lattice grid. This ceiling creates light for the classroom space, providing a visually interesting, comfortable illuminance. Besides the classroom, there are also larger tables topped by decorative pendants lining the ceiling that allow multiple people to work together.
To prioritize visual comfort and wellbeing, the Lutron Vive system, installed throughout, provides preset scenes within the communal space. Vive also offers seamless integration to other building management systems (through BACnet). The building is complete with on-off occupancy sensors that control all the lights, allowing additional energy savings with daylight harvesting.
With locations all around the world, WeWork prioritizes creating an environment where there are workplace solutions, where ‘remote working’ doesn’t have to mean from your bed or a lap desk on your couch. It creates a place where workers from all fields can come and enjoy a community and feel inspired. The modern lighting designs, fitted to the time of the day and the size of the room, allow for a more relaxed environment than a traditional office with overhead lighting. ■
