At an opening ceremony presided over by past and present New York City mayors, HSBC debuted an ambitious 260,000-square-foot zero-carbon headquarters spanning five levels of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group’s The Spiral in Hudson Yards. The 66-story tower is so named for the landscaped terraces that corkscrew up and around the facade to create a continuous green pathway. In echo, Top 100 Giants firm M Moser Associates gave HSBC’s workplace a grand metal staircase (painted to resemble Corten) with bleacher seating and planters that cascades from the fifth to the third floor. Meeting rooms, suites, and breakout zones—all with an elevated industrial aesthetic—gather around the stair base.
Interactive dashboards allow staffers to find workspaces that match their sensory preferences based on factors like activity levels, temperature, lighting, and noise—ideal for the neurodiverse. It’s powered by an expansive network of Internet of Things sensors that measure real-time data, providing insight into use patterns, monitoring and managing carbon consumption, predicting maintenance needs, and more. The goal? Create the most sustainable, inclusive, and technology-enabled workplace in the city. It’s been a hit, with employee attendance rising from 40 to 80 percent.
