Chad Smith is Vice President of Product Strategy at iOFFICE and Lorri Strasser is Vice President of Global Solutions at NELSON Worldwide. On May 12, 2020, Mike Petrusky hosted a live webinar broadcast called “Design a Safer Workplace with Appropriate Physical Distancing” where Chad and Lori shared a vision of the strategies and technologies that will allow organizations to plan an effective return to the workplace during the COVID-19 global pandemic. During this webinar, Chad shared ways to leverage new and upcoming functionality from iOFFICE to enhance your workplace experience in these changing times including a new physical distancing tool called Space-Right™. Lori explained what she is hearing from clients about the top considerations when planning a return to the office for your workforce.

New York Market Week and NYCxDESIGN are fast approaching and as retail continues to rapidly transform, we’re looking beyond the immediate industry, to environments and concepts inspiring the retail of tomorrow. Today’s consumers engage with brands in a fluid manner, the traditional sectors of the retail, restaurant, hospitality, and entertainment have blurred as the consumer-desired experience has become a mosaic of expectations, influenced heavily by engagement, access, and authenticity. Embracing these new expectations presents brands with a greater opportunity to differentiate, cross-sell and expand the breadth of their brand experience. So, this year while in the city we’ll be exploring some of the city’s most innovative new concepts across multiple industries, that we think could be a driving force in the retail experience of the future.

Our first #FluidRetail post featured Food + Beverage, while this next segment will focus on Hospitality + Wellness concepts, with more markets showcased in the coming weeks. Below you will find the best spots in and around NYC to stay, work, relax, or simply indulge in some self-care.

Sister City NYC | Lower East Side Hotel

Described as an “experiment in essentialism”, Sister City is a newly opened hotel touting the “lean luxury” trend. The hotel has taken inspiration from minimalists and “functional perfection of Finnish saunas, Japanese bento boxes, rock-cut cliff dwellings of prehistory.”

Chill House NYC | East Village Salon + Coffee Shop

Chill House is a coffee shop, nail salon, and massage boutique all in one. The space’s cool-vibe aesthetic makes this the perfect spot to treat yourself to some self-care and grab a gourmet cup of joe. One can come in for a single visit or purchase a membership plan offering exclusive discounts and products.

3DEN | Co-Working In Hudson Yards

This new concept located at Hudson Yards offers work spaces, Casper nap pods, showers, a meditation room, soundproof phone booths, and coffee and snacks in a spacious, plant-filled. Visiting 3DEN can be done through the company’s app where users can see what available or how crowded the space it.

Rise By We | FIDI Gym

WeWork’s first ever gym location opens in NYC. The concept is available for WeWork and non-WeWork members. Featuring everything you’d expect in a gym; the space’s color palette is muted with black and light wood finishes and splashes of greenery.

The Refinery | Mid-Town Hotel

Refinery Hotel is a reinterpretation of the Colony Arcade—a former hat factory and Prohibition-era tea room. Each room has been transformed into a stylish loft room with high ceilings and luxury accents. The Refinery Rooftop is the hotels crowning jewel with inspiring views of the Manhattan skyline and Empire State Building.

Greenery Unlimited | Brooklyn Biophelia 

Plant stores are having a big moment and Greenery Unlimited located in Greenpoint, Brooklyn was modeled after biologist Edward O. Wilson’s theory of biophilia, which suggests that humans feel better and are healthier when surrounded by natural life. At this store, you’re encouraged to sit back, relax, and maybe buy a new plant.

The Assemblage Nomad | FIDI Extended Stay + Co-Working 

The Assemblage located in FIDI is a unique property offering a co-working space and flexible extended stay booking that takes a spiritual approach by providing visitors a holistic, ayurvedic, work-play-live space.

Recreation At The Moxy | Downtown Hotel

The Moxy Hotel in downtown NYC introduces a new concept featuring a co-working space by day and a cocktail lounge with a basketball court by night. The concept taps into Moxy’s play-and-games ethos and creates a hospitality hub that can cater to a variety of needs.

Recess CBD | NOHO Pop-Up

CBD company Recess has opened a pop-up experience in NOHO inviting visitors to step into a laid-back, neon-filled shop space that serves the brands sparkling water infused with hemp extract. The idea is to draw people into the space to learn more about the brand and relax.

NELSON’s Boston office was awarded Gold in Interior Design Competition by the 8th Annual International Design Awards for the Google, Cambridge Campus Expansion, Massachusetts Project.

IDA honorary juries examined over 1000 entries submitted by architects and designers of interiors, fashion, products, and graphics from 52 countries throughout the world. After final decisions had been made, the jury rewarded the best professional and emerging designers for their achievements in terms of design, creativity, usability and innovation. Judging was a rigorous process, with winners receiving publication of their work in the International Design Awards Book of Designs. The coveted IDA Trophy will be awarded to all Designer of the Year title winners at the official biennial International Design Awards Ceremony in Los Angeles.

This annual competition recognizes, honors, and promotes legendary design visionaries and uncovers emerging talents in Architecture, Interior, Product, Graphic, and Fashion Design on global level.

The members of the jury included Alice Blackwood Editor, Design Quarterly, Kahi Lee – Host, HGTV’s “Design on a Dime”, Style Network’s “My Celebrity Home”, Melissa Sterry – Interdisciplinary Design Scientist, Founder, Societas,Josh Rubin – Editor-in-Chief, Founder, and Publisher, Cool Hunting, Martin Venzky – Stalling, Senior Advisor, CMU STeP, Jeffrey Nemeroff – Co-Founder, Creative Director, Entra Magazine, Jordan Landes-Brenman CEO, Haute House PR & Marketing, Raj Nandan – Managing Director, Indesign Group, William Menking – Founder, Editor-in-Chief, The Architects’ Newspaper, Nicole Lloyd – Senior Art Buyer, Deutsch, Inc., Rebecca Epstein Kong – Co-founder, Artware Editions, Aaron Kenedi – Editor-in-Chief, Print, Geraldine Grisey – Editor, Punky B Fashion Diary.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Google came to NELSON in 2010 looking to design 20,000 SF of office and kitchen/café space. This modest beginning rapidly grew into a 1200-person, multi- building ‘campus’ located in the MIT Kendall Square area of Cambridge, MA. Paramount to the project’s success was the connection of three buildings surrounding a parking garage with two purposefully built infill buildings forming the nucleus of Google’s campus. Google’s corporate design strategy includes creating spaces that reflect each location’s history and character. Visioning sessions held with ‘Googlers’ resulted in a master plan concept based on Boston’s iconic MBTA transportation system, the “T.” Each building is assigned a color coded ‘line’ and each floor a ‘stop.’ Inspired and guided by the stop’s surrounds, the goal was to create a Boston/Cambridge office. Highlights include a Red Line “Kendall Square” stop as the main entrance. Visitors arrive inside a Red Line subway car, setting up the overall campus experience. Other stops include a micro kitchen with real canoes referencing boating on the adjacent Charles River. At “Charles/MGH” Red Line floor, the luxury Liberty Hotel riffs off of the former infamous Charles Street Jail, mixing lavish appointments with real jail cell doors. A Back Bay Victorian row house library pays homage to the Green Line “Arlington Street” stop, but with a modern twist. The historic “Park Street” floor offers an inspired cafe with rooftop garden views interpreted as the Boston Public Gardens. And, at America’s first public beach – the Blue Line’s “Revere Beach” celebrates with a lighthouse and lounge. Nothing is too outrageous to picture, and one-size-fits-all workstations compliment an array of amenities fostering productive ‘alone’ time as well as collaboration. While innovation and creativity are crucial, Google’s metric focus insures that everything meets data-driven criteria. Google has global commitment to sustainability and spaces are LEED Gold or Platinum Certified.

Please join us in congratulating the Boston Team!