Photo: Stefan Hester
Impromptu meeting spaces allow employees to collaborate on proje…
Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design / New York City / www.hlblighting.com
The loft-like space with a 12-foot-highceiling and large windows offers theemployees of Horton Lees BrogdenLighting Design incredible views ofNew York City from its location onUnion Square. “We see the city sculptedin light throughout the day,” saysprincipal Barbara Horton, adding thatthe 3,500-square-foot office is able touse daylight during 90 percent of theday. New York, where it all started forthe firm in 1970, is one of four officelocations, with the others in Boston,Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Theinterior design was kept simple toamplify the great views, and Hortonsays that there was no specific inspirationfor the office. Large enclosedspaces in the center contain the libraryand conference room, while the restof the area is open with low partitions.”We started with higher partitions forprivacy and found it was not teambuilding,” Horton explains. Now, everyonecan communicate and collaborate across the partitions including the principals,who do not have private offices.The openness throughout the space is critical for the designers to worktogether, and Horton says the space functions very well to encourage camaraderie and communication.
