Ted Moudis Associates was engaged by Mazars to deliver a light, bright, and collaborative space for the accounting firm’s office in New York City, New York.

After conducting a thorough workplace strategy and programming effort, TMA determined that an agile workplace model would best suit this organization. With Mazars situated on four floors, the design team conceived each one as a series of “neighborhoods” that serve as a home base for specific service lines and operating support groups. These neighborhoods allow employees to access a variety of spaces within a short distance, such as workstations, offices, phone booths, huddle rooms, lounges and open collaboration seating. Team members now have a variety of options to perform day-to-day tasks that cater to their preferred styles of work with greater accessibility to high-use areas — a crucial factor to successful hybrid work models.

Located on Mazars’ main floor, the workplace’s central hub features open architecture with client-facing gathering areas and amenity spaces to help foster a collaborative environment. These include a large café with multiple seating arrangements and an adjacent outdoor terrace. Two prominent conference rooms are located directly off the café, distinguished by operable walls that can be repositioned to create a larger space for company gatherings. The opposite side of the floor is dedicated to a client reception area, which provides a refined introductory experience for guests.

TMA incorporated sustainable design elements throughout the space to create workplace solutions built for longevity, productivity and enjoyment. Each floor presents its own signature color based on Mazars’ branded hues, which include blue, purple and green. The team emphasized biophilic elements such as maximized access to natural lighting from expansive windows, as well as warm wood material finishes and built-in planters alongside the desks. In place of deskside storage cabinets, digital combination code lockers provide the hybrid staff with personal storage. For greater workplace efficiency, sit-stand desks were included in all offices and workstations, which also offer charging stations built into the desks.

Meeting the needs of the hybrid workforce, TMA crafted meeting rooms with high-quality audiovisual media to advance the firm’s virtual community building. Primary meeting rooms, available in several sizes, are equipped with state-of-the-art video conferencing technologies and collaborative design elements such as writable walls. To foster in-person collaboration, an innovation lab allows team members to gather in a casual, agile setting with the help of moveable furniture and writable boards as well as adequate acoustics and audiovisual technology. TMA’s consideration for high-tech audio and quality acoustics also extends to the podcast room, where recordings take place without interruption to the surrounding workstations.

To address employee use within the workplace, TMA introduced several smart technology systems to monitor use of space. An app-based reservation system supports and tracks data for an unassigned seating model, while power over ethernet lighting reduces overall energy consumption and utilizes sensors controlled by special software. This software tracks data picked up by these sensors, offering valuable insight into the usage and traffic of specific areas and allowing staff to plan ahead for booking desks and collaboration rooms.

Meeting the overall needs of the Mazars’ staff, TMA’s change management team executed a 90-day intensive effort of meetings, sessions and surveys to create an agile workplace model that will continue to serve the ever-changing needs of this organization’s workforce.

Design: Ted Moudis Associates

Photography: Michael Vincent Parks | DDreps

22 Images | expand for additional detail