Project: PayPal Workspace
Architects: Rapt Studio
Location: New York City, United States
Year 2018
Photography: Eric Laignel
NYCxDESIGN Awards 2018 Tech Office Winner
Along the way, we have partnered with PayPal to design workplace experiences that have helped their staff thrive.
Having already built out a few floors for the fintech leader in New York, Rapt continued by expanding their West Village presence, emphasizing the company’s stories of consumer partnerships. Our latest work covers two full floors of open and collaborative workplace and highly flexible gathering spaces. What was once the loading dock and freight elevator lobby, has been repurposed as the company’s main entrance to the building, announcing PayPal’s occupancy as a highly-branded, single tenant experience, leading to a state of the art experience center side by side with the employee gathering and meeting areas. There is no “behind the curtain” here.
Several structural bays were removed between the first and second floors and was outfitted with a sweeping stepped bleacher component—allowing for large all-hands gatherings, and through the use of the integrated technology, company-wide, global presentations and product launches. Above and overlooking the all-hands area is a café/server with café seating that allows for impromptu smaller meetings on a daily basis and for front row seats during a presentation.
While the workspace on the upper floors embraces a bright and playful material palette, these lower levels are finished with a more refined and mature palette balancing PayPal’s brand colors of blues and grays with light woods and brass. Cloud-like pendants float above the stair for a bit of whimsy while a patchwork pattern does double duty on the presentation wall, presenting as a large-scale artwork while offering much needed acoustic qualities to the large space.
A large travertine bar with a brass grid of suspended shelving and lighting anchors the communal area at the base of the all-hands area. The bar creates a special moment not only for PayPal employees and partners but also for visitors and passersby who have visibility of the activity within the space from Washington Street. This space hosts weekly interactive events and encourages employees to build community throughout the day, whether it’s making an espresso for a co-worker or celebrating a win during a happy hour.
