The asset management giant BlackRock has released images of the interior design for its 120,000-sf Innovation Hub in Atlanta, which BlackRock moved into two years ago. That design, a collaboration with Perkins&Will’s studios in Atlanta and New York, is the first project in North America to follow BlackRock’s global design guidelines, which the design firm authored. P&W’s Branded Environments team also provided BlackRock’s Global Signage and Brand guidelines for environmental applications.
The office is located in midtown’s 725 Ponce development along the Atlanta BeltLine and across from the Ponce City Market. Brent Capron, interior design director at P&W’s New York office, calls this space “a testament to [BlackRock’s] long-term commitment in the city and its workforce.” BlackRock revealed its plans to expand into Atlanta with a new Innovation Hub in October 2018. At the time, it had 15 employees in the state, and its plans called for hiring up to 1,000 workers by 2024, according to various news reports at the time. The Wall Street Journal reported then that BlackRock would use $25 million in public tax breaks in support of its Southern expansion.
DESIGN ENCOURAGES COLLABORATION
The two-floor Atlanta iHub will eventually expand to four floors to accommodate BlackRock’s intended recruitment. Three core themes—the porch, the festival, and the crossroads—drive iHub’s design concept:
• The end of each floor has its own dedicated “porch,” with individualized murals and design expressions. The porch is meant to be where employees from both floors can congregate, as well as host clients and guests;
![iHub is designed for idea generation, in groups or individually.](/sites/default/files/inline-images/BlackRockAtl_1168.jpg)
• P&W has positioned iHub as a place that fosters idea exchanges. These “crossroads” also are meant to reflect (or at least suggest) Atlanta’s role as a transportation nexus that includes America’s busiest airport;
• Spaces that encourage impromptu meetings and collaborations also capture the “festival” design theme that echoes Atlanta’s culture and past. These areas are distinguished by flexible spaces, furniture, and lighting.
ART EXPRESSES A LOCAL POV
![iHub's reception area includes rugs with unique designs](/sites/default/files/inline-images/BlackRockAtl_0179.jpg)
Perkins&Will and BlackRock’s art curator Susan Frei Nathan engaged local organizations and artists to introduce an urban perspective into iHub. Artwork, in particular murals, tell unique stories about the city’s history and culture. Local artist Peter Ferrari created a frame and outline with employees invited to paint a small section each, further reinforcing a sense of communal ownership over the new office.
![One of the employee gathering areas within iHub](/sites/default/files/inline-images/BlackRockAtl_0877.jpg)
Rugs with their own origin stories specific to Atlanta adorn the office’s reception areas. The design team explored ways to celebrate the city’s long history of quilters, engaging local guild, the Brown Sugar Stitchers, whose chosen quilt design was used as the pattern generation and manufactured locally for the throw rugs in reception. “It was crucial that outreach to local creators and artists be not only proactive but extremely thoughtful and representative of Atlanta's identity,” says Jeanette Kim, senior project designer at Perkins&Will’s New York studio.
iHub is targeting LEED Gold certification.
Related Stories
Office Buildings | Oct 21, 2021
Swinerton opens new regional headquarters in Charlotte
Redline Design Group designed the adaptive reuse project.
Office Buildings | Oct 18, 2021
Henning Larsen designs new headquarters building for KAB
The project is located in Copenhagen.
Glass and Glazing | Sep 30, 2021
Plans move forward on Central Place Sydney, duel towers with an AI-driven façade system
SOM and Fender Katsalidis are designing the project.
Office Buildings | Sep 29, 2021
Walmart’s new Home Office is the largest mass timber campus project in the U.S.
The project will occupy approximately 350 acres.
Mixed-Use | Sep 28, 2021
BIG designs new Farfetch HQ on the slopes of Leça River in Porto
The project is situated within the larger Fuse Valley site.
Office Buildings | Sep 26, 2021
Not your father’s office: Workplaces showcase their panache
Three recent projects take very different design routes.
Market Data | Sep 1, 2021
Bradley Corp. survey finds office workers taking coronavirus precautions
Due to the rise in new strains of the virus, 70% of office workers have implemented a more rigorous handwashing regimen versus 59% of the general population.
Laboratories | Aug 31, 2021
Pandemic puts science and technology facilities at center stage
Expanding demand for labs and life science space is spurring new construction and improvements in existing buildings.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Laboratories | Aug 30, 2021
Science in the sky: Designing high-rise research labs
Recognizing the inherent socioeconomic and environmental benefits of high-density design, research corporations have boldly embraced high-rise research labs.