United States
project
The Walt Disney Company NYC Headquarters
Located at 7 Hudson Square, The Walt Disney Company’s NYC HQ redefines working in media, transforming a full city block into a vertically integrated, media-ready urban campus for broadcasting, digital, and editorial functions. Two, 320-foot towers are united by the Great Room, which acts as the beating heart of this creative hub. Flexible workplace ‘neighborhoods’ with newsrooms, studios, and open-air terraces give employees a range of work environments and amenities that promote productivity and engagement, reflective of Disney’s mission to foster community, inspire creativity, strengthen partnerships, and build trust among teams.
As one of Manhattan’s largest broadcast projects under one roof, studios and other media spaces – including three large studios for both live and audience programming – total nearly 725,000sf within the building. The upper levels contain workspaces as well as a newsroom and additional studios for national and local news. Housed in double-height areas, these spaces accommodate state-of-the-art set equipment and lighting.
For above ceiling coordination, the team established the steel grid early on to allow for streets and avenues for all systems: from ductwork, to sprinkler, to conduit running above the isolated ceiling. Another factor with all these systems is the threaded support rods can cause potential vibration or sound if touching another system. This was a huge part of Structure Tone’s QA/QC program before closing the ceiling and removing the dance floor: ensuring everything was running independently without issues down the road. The project team also utilized first installs, a list of required completed tasks for the design team and end users to review, a process that guaranteed set standards were achieved for final installation.
The overall focus throughout the entire construction process was sound. Every penetration needed to be sealed. Additionally, the location near the subway line necessitated extra acoustical protection from vibrations.
By uniting multiple teams under one roof, Disney’s NYC HQ is a connected and collaborative workplace for creativity, community, and innovation. Cutting-edge studios and workplaces establish a seamless platform for any media format, with ability to anticipate evolving and future technological advancements. This adaptability enhances engagement and minimizes potential renovation costs, resulting in a purpose-built facility that not only enables employees to elevate storytelling but also strengthens the fabric of the city itself.
Garrett Rowland
COMPANY
sectors
services
Architect
Gensler, Skidmore Owings & Merrill LLP
Client
The Walt Disney Company
Location
7 Hudson Square
SF
1.2M
Contract
CM
Owner’s Representative
Cummings Group
Owner’s Interior Representative
Macro
Architect (Core & Shell, Graphic Design & Wayfinding)
Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)
Architect (Interior Architecture and Design – workplace strategy and design, media production and broadcast design)
Gensler
MEP Engineer
Jaros, Baum & Bolles
Structural Engineer
Thornton Tomasetti
Civil and Geotech Engineer
Langan Engineering & Environmental Services
Interior MEP
Robert Derector Associates
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