Meta Farley

At Meta Farley, a historic former US Postal Service Office was transformed into a contemporary workplace for one of the world’s leading tech firms. The challenge was to create a human scale and personable neighborhoods within the vast scale of the existing building. This was achieved through careful scaling of individual neighborhood areas, integration of art and biophilic design, and balancing efficiently planned workspaces with wellness-focused restoration and collaboration areas dispersed throughout. The brief called for a workplace for 3,500 employees: 800,000 square feet of office, dining spaces, entry lobbies, libraries, collaboration spaces, meeting rooms, event space, and training facilities. Efficiency in planning, employee wellbeing, historical legacy and the client's brand and identity were all prioritised. With an all-woman senior team, Meta Farley embodies “Built by Women.” The team’s design approach started with the question: How can we design more human-centric, inclusive, resilient, healthy, and sustainable work environments that support evolving workplace culture? Understanding the impact of workplace environments on employee wellbeing, the design team focussed on the importance of access to natural light, intuitive wayfinding and a sense of community at a personable scale. Planning and material selections were centred on solutions to these challenges at the same time as celebrating the unique qualities of the historic building. This project was a labor of love for all parties involved. Almost completely designed and constructed through covid, these women on the team—at various stages in their careers—were given the opportunity to lead on their elements, build specialisms and progress in their careers. For example, Claudia began this project as Managing Director and with Jill’s and others support and mentorship, she ultimately finished the project as Managing Principal and leads all Meta work to date with Hana as design lead. Erica Cho has been leading design and mentoring young designers since Meta on other large-scale projects in NYC. Similarly, Shannon Hayes continues to be a key leader on Meta work and champion complex program driven projects.