New York–based architect Jennifer Carpenter recently teamed up with Lukas Lighting to create a collaborative working environment for digital marketing software company MediaMath at 4 World Trade Center.
The inspiration for the design has a lot to do with the company’s strengths. MediaMath employs a lot of mathematicians who find patterns in seemingly random data. “The lounge ceiling is a sea of hexagonal fixtures, some lit and some unlit, in a pattern that looks random but is in fact calculated,” Carpenter said. “The fixtures run parallel to each other and are organized along two groups of intersecting parallel track lines.”
“The client liked the notion of using different geometric shapes to identify the various collaborative spaces,” she said. Linen was chosen for the shades to create a diffused lighting quality that would produce a calm space for workers to gather and socialize. In the three smaller lounges, a combination of thin rectangular pendants and acoustical panels are hung to distinguish the quieter, more work-oriented spaces using hard-edged geometry.
In terms of working directly with the manufacturer, everyone did his or her part, especially in regard to deadlines. Carpenter remarked that she “provided renderings of the concept early on, but did not have specifications for the materials or how the pieces would come together—Lukas really brought that to the table.”
The most intense parts of the design process included the onsite layout of over 80 fixtures. Carpenter and the electricians spent a sizeable amount of time drawing a full-size template on the floor using chalk and butcher paper. Afterward, they used lasers to mark attachment points onto the ceiling, and install (which involved some tricky conduit work). Additionally, the schedule for the project combined with the manufacturing process didn’t allow for extensive prototyping. The shades required laminating all of the custom linen fabric at once to ensure consistency, and time didn’t allow for a mockup installation.
There is quite a bit on the horizon for Carpenter in 2016, including hospitality projects, a series of restaurants for fast casual company Honeygrow, and a new flagship store for menswear brand Ubiq. She will also continue to work with MediaMath on their global offices.
The employee lounge at the MediaMath offices at 4 World Trade Center.
