Kelley Drye

Kelley Drye

With the lease on their existing office space expiring, Kelley Drye, an international law firm with more than 1,100 employees nationwide, decided to relocate their New York City headquarters from Midtown to the heart of the Financial District at 3 World Trade Center. The move coincided with a corporate rebrand and provided the firm with an opportunity to transform their traditional office space to a more transitional, modern workplace. Officeworks collaborated with architecture and design firm Gensler, Gardiner & Theobald, and JRM Construction Management to provide furniture, space planning, project management, and installation services for the new space. The scope of the project consisted of 103,000 square feet spanning three floors with 156 offices, 121 workstations, conference rooms, cafe, and reception area.

With a history of more than 180 years, Kelley Drye prides itself on being a powerhouse firm with a boutique feel, and they wanted their new space to reflect that sensibility. They envisioned a workplace designed to promote collaboration and wellness, with an open plan, plenty of natural light, and amenities that would appeal to a younger demographic of attorneys. They were ready to leave the dark wood, leather inlays, and heavy trim work of their old space behind in favor of a more refined, modern aesthetic.

Employee wellness and comfort were important to Kelley Drye so height-adjustable tables were provided for every employee. With a compact footprint and low, horizontal lines, District workstations were used in the open plan, allowing for unobstructed views of the city skyline. Navigate height-adjustable tables and casegoods from Teknion Custom Solutions were installed in the private offices and configured along the work wall to allow for heads-down, focused work. A round side table was added to the offices, to provide an open, welcoming environment for client meetings and collaboration with colleagues. Design-driven details, like the waterfall edge on Teknion’s height-adjustable table, maintain the elegant aesthetic of the space, while custom metal shelving, built to hold up to 150lbs, accommodates the client’s specific storage needs without adding to the cost or lead time.

One of the challenges of managing an installation at the World Trade Center is the longer lead time required for scheduling deliveries due to heightened security. Unforeseen delays, caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, added to that challenge. With an experienced team, focused on solutions rather than obstacles, Officeworks seamlessly delivered unique solutions for Kelley Drye, on schedule and with a minimal punch list.

Download the Kelley Drye case study here.