WEWORK LAB
Located in the once industrial neighborhood of Chelsea, this expansive loft space occupies the top floor of an iconic warehouse building on the West side of Manhattan.
The program for this unique WeWork facility includes a series of laboratory and workshop spaces, serving a prototyping area where research and development projects for the company's various brands are tested. In addition to separate metal and woodworking shops, the fabrication spaces include construction automation and rapid prototyping labs, and a robotics platform.
In plan the long footprint of the existing space is conceptually divided in half. Most of the laboratories are situated at the West end with the main freight elevator.
The prototyping and public spaces are at the East end, adjacent to the entry, where a meeting room, pantry kitchen, storage wall and restrooms are also located. An open corridor links the two halves and acts as spine for services overhead, including air conditioning trunk lines.
The construction of the lab itself is a prototype, as the interior glass partitions employ WeWork's new modular aluminum framed storefront system. Other new materials include flat and perforated steel paneling, a custom wood slat ceiling system and satin lacquer finished doors. The existing concrete floor throughout was polished and resealed. The only laboratory space facing the prototyping area is finished entirely in red to denote its importance, with coordinating furniture and fixtures.
DETAILS
Location: Manhattan, NY
Date: 2018-2019
Size: 13,950 sf
Photography: James Ewing
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