Contract - January/February 2014 - 108

Client
BBDO / Omnicom Group
Location
New York

HLW
"This office is comfortable but sophisticated. It's a very good
example of office merging with hospitality. The cheeky entrance
is tied to the idea of the agency, and it's a perfect announcement
of the mission of the agency." JURY

to the building's concrete shell. The designers chose seating, provide ideal settings for coffee breaks
or lunchtime chats. The designers were inspired by
to leave the imperfect concrete floors exposed, as
the atmosphere of the lobby of New York's Ace Hotel,
well as large portions of the concrete ceiling to gain
height, but ductwork is carefully concealed. Existing which invites people to linger.
This laid-back vibe seems to continue in
offices at the ends of the floors were left as-is, as
the open work areas, which are broken up by living
was the core, which was painted various shades of
room-like groupings of sofas and bookshelves.
gray to make it fade into the background. Elmwood
Throughout the work areas, as well as in the
Reclaimed Timber walls, floors, and conference
reception area, tongue-and-cheek graphics on walls
tabletops were incorporated throughout to add
and floors poke fun at advertising lingo. But these
texture and warmth.
Not every New York ad agency can trace its roots
spaces are also designed in line with BBDO's mission,
The hub of the headquarters is the pitch room
to the iconic Madison Avenue, which has become
an obsessive focus on "the work, the work, the work."
and a large cafe. Located on the sixth floor around
synonymous with the industry. BBDO-the world's
second largest advertising network, one of the most the corner from reception, a wood podium, known as The 970 employees are arranged in teams, and
creative and sales departments occupy separate
award-winning, and speculated to be an inspiration "The Deck," functions as a waiting area and lounge,
floors. But they are each invited to adapt their
behind the AMC television show Mad Men-left that but also serves as pre-function space for the
spaces to suit their unique work styles. The
adjacent pitch room. The setting for all major client
famed street many years ago to call 1285 Avenue of
workstations-Steelcase FrameOne-are long
meetings, the pitch room features a large video
the Americas home. But with an office that seemed
staid and dated, BBDO called upon HLW to update its screen and plenty of pinup space. Fritz Hansen Swan benches with Terra Mai reclaimed wood tops. This
open and undivided configuration provides a
Chairs, occasional tables, and stools allow for
three floors, totalling 227,000 square feet, to look
"framework for personalization," Mack says.
intimate set-ups, and recessed banquettes at the
like a hip downtown loft rather than a typical
BBDO may have inspired Mad Men, and in
back provide strategic splashes of BBDO's signature
Midtown corporate workplace.
turn, a scene on the show at the end of fifth season
red in the mostly neutral space.
For David Lubars, chairman and chief creative
featuring Don Draper sitting alone at a bar inspired
Located on the seventh floor, the cafe is the
officer at BBDO, the goal of the renovation was to
the design of the new incarnation of BBDO's bar,
only pantry to serve all three floors. "It was a
have CEOs of Fortune 500 companies walk in and
Central Filing. Employees access daily happy hours
conscious decision, because they wanted everyone
say, "Wow!" John Mack, a design partner at HLW,
through a wooden door relocated from the original
in one space that serves as a command hub," Mack
says his office came up with the tagline for the
BBDO office on Madison Avenue. Inside the dimly
says. Sliding doors allow the space to expand into
project: "Making Midtown Cool." And it does feel
lit room, walls painted with dark red and black
an adjacent conference room to accommodate
cool-updated spaces reflect the company's global
stripes surround tufted sofas and a bar with a base
office-wide meetings. A charcoal wall in the cafe is
and progressive image-despite a modest budget,
made from-what else-old filing cabinets. And
which was mostly earmarked towards infrastructure. animated by white graphics, which HLW designed
Guinness-one of the agency's clients-flows
with BBDO to reflect the company's "10 rules of
HLW called for two of the floors, which were
freely from a special tap. c
thumb." Cafe tables and chairs, as well as bar
previously compartmentalized, to be stripped down

By Murrye Bernard
Photography by
Frank Oudeman

108

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Contract - January/February 2014

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