Design NYC Magazine Interviews MdeAS and A+I on PENN 2 and THE PENN DISTRICT
Managing Partner, Dan Shannon, spoke with Design NYC Magazine about PENN 2 and the revitalization of THE PENN DISTRICT.
Faced with the choice to demolish their challenged assets, Vornado instead decided to make their old buildings new again. “As architects committed to sustainability, that really resonated with us,” Shannon said. More than just an office renovation project, PENN 2 is a total investment in the neighborhood, improving street and sidewalk experience, introducing public green space, and organizing the many uses present on the site. “We were thinking not only of the office workers,” said Shannon, “but also the thousands of people who pass through this site - commuters, tourists, sports fans on their way to a Rangers game.”
Inside, PENN 2 embodies the progressive ideals of the workplace typology today. “Vornado really gave us an opportunity to think about what an office building could be from the ground up,” said Brad Zizmor, Co-founder of A+I. “Nobody really knows the long-term effect of Covid, but we doubt that people are going to want to be apart and work remotely. And when they come back, they won’t want to sit elbow to elbow, toiling away all day and then leaving at 5 o’clock.” PENN 2 is designed more like a university or a hotel than a sleek office building of the past. “I really do think this is the beginning of a new way to reinvigorate central business districts,” Zizmor concluded.
Click the images (right) to read the full article from Design NYC Magazine.
