“Wow” Was Our Benchmark
Designing for impact at Arnold Worldwide's global headquarters
Collaboration is the lifeblood of a creative agency so when Havas/Arnold sought a design of their global headquarters, inspiring moments of exchange became a guiding focus for the project
Havas/Arnold Worldwide is a leading global ad agency that represents major brands like Fidelity, Jack Daniels, Progressive Insurance, and a host of other household names. Havas’s new headquarters in downtown Boston have centralized Arnold Worldwide with three other Havas brands. Together, these brands cohabitate on three and a half floors in the former Filene’s building, designed in 1912 by renowned architect Daniel Burnham. Sasaki was engaged to lead the 125,000-square-foot design and build-out of the new office space, completed in 2014.
First impression is everything for a world-reknowned agency, and the first view of the office upon entry was designed for “wow-factor”
The open plan office space includes a variety of collaboration areas and conference rooms
Designing brand into workplace includes logos and colors, but it’s more than skin deep — a well branded workplace uses spatial elements to drive employee engagement
Authenticity and innovation are core to Havas’s creative work. Accordingly, the Sasaki team melded the building’s architectural authenticity with future-forward design by employing two concepts. The first, the stitch, links the north and south sides of expansive floor plates, tying together old brick, terra cotta, and steel with glass, concrete, and technology. The reuse of found materials—old railings as marker trays, radiator grilles as light fixtures, reclaimed wood for stair treads—and restrained use of new materials speaks both to the agency’s dedication to authenticity and to its mission of sustainability. The second concept, the vortex, creates a vertical circulation and collaboration core from the roof skylight to the lowest level, anchoring common amenities around central staircases.
The skylight and double story atrium ensures the two-story office is flooded with natural light
The multistory, multifunctional forum works as a connector, an informal meeting area and a large-scale event space
The base of the main staircase connects to the main presentation space, serving as informal collaboration space, additional seating or a stage
There are no private offices in this new office, a major change for the company, but a plentitude of conference rooms and working nooks give employees plenty of privacy and quiet options throughout the office
Individual workspaces are clustered into small neighborhoods near a variety of collaboration areas, with abundant natural light
Workstations line the outer ring of the office on both floors, giving employees plenty of natural light
Open and enclosed collaboration areas are located adjacent to individual workspaces
Flexible meeting rooms open into wide circulation paths to maximize use by a wide range of different-sized groups
There are no private offices in this new office, a major change for the company, but a plentitude of conference rooms and working nooks give employees plenty of privacy and quiet options throughout the office
Individual workspaces are clustered into small neighborhoods near a variety of collaboration areas, with abundant natural light
Workstations line the outer ring of the office on both floors, giving employees plenty of natural light
Open and enclosed collaboration areas are located adjacent to individual workspaces
Flexible meeting rooms open into wide circulation paths to maximize use by a wide range of different-sized groups
The design supported Havas’s goal to shift from 85% private offices to a completely open floor plan. Workstations line the perimeter, surrounded by natural light and views. Here, leadership and employees sit side by side. To aid the reorientation to an open-office plan, the project team ensured the availability of alternative workspaces. Employees can engage in organic moments of exchange, whether at the café, two office bars, sky-lit mezzanine, staircase seating areas, or hidden nook. Every square foot is active, engaged, and useable—even circulation zones are lined with writable surfaces, doubling as alternative meeting spaces.
The office is housed within a historic building by Daniel Burnham so the design team preserved many original, industrial architectural details in the interior design
The Burnham Cafe, which opens onto a rooftop terrace, is the heart of social activity; it also serves as alternative workspace and event space
The project team worked very closely with Havas/Arnold Worldwide to help create a space that stitches together the history and tradition of Boston—embodied in the Burnham-designed building—with the creativity and innovation of Arnold and its people. The team also worked with the developer and architect of the new onsite residential tower to utilize a split core instead of the originally designed central core, helping the floor plate lend itself to a more fluid design.
For more information contact Victor Vizgaitis.