History of A+I
Architecture Plus Information, commonly known as A+I, is a New York City-based architecture and design firm founded in 1996 by Brad Zizmor and Dag Folger. The firm emerged during the dot-com boom, which was a fertile period for reimagining workplace design to meet the evolving needs of tech companies.
A+I is known for its strategy-led, integrated design approach, offering services from inception to completion. Over the years, they have worked on a variety of projects, including large tech workplaces, retail pop-ups, banks, and educational institutions. Their work emphasizes creating spaces that reflect a company’s values and culture, aiming to propel businesses and their people forward.
The firm is proudly women-led, helmed by CEO Kate Thatcher, and employs professionals across various disciplines, including architecture, interior design, and brand design. Some of their notable projects include the headquarters for Equinox, Squarespace, and the creative clubhouse for Publicis Groupe.
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Company Culture at A+I
A+I is known for fostering a dynamic and inclusive work culture that emphasizes creativity, collaboration, and continuous learning. The company encourages employees to experiment and innovate, providing a supportive environment where taking risks and learning from failures are part of the growth process.
We believe that the physical environment is the most visceral way for a company to embody its values, reflect its ethos, and communicate its ambition, carrying culture and mission through times of change and radical transformation.
A+I values diversity and inclusivity, ensuring that all team members feel valued and heard. This approach not only enhances job satisfaction but also drives the company’s success by leveraging a wide range of perspectives and ideas. Overall, A+I’s work culture is designed to empower employees, promote teamwork, and cultivate a sense of community within the organization.
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Architect-US is proud to work in close contact with A+I and to be able to ensure the firm gets to know and work with amazing young architects like Josipa Baricevic whom we helped process her J1 Visa and get a place at A+I through our Job + J1 Visa Program!
Josipa Baricevic
Croation architect, Josipa Baricevic, was awarded her Bachelor’s degree in architecture, and her Master’s degree in architecture and urban planning at University of Zagreb, Croatia. Before her J1 Visa Program at A+I, Josipa gathered a vast work experience at architecture studios such as: 3LHD Architects, SUPERHANDS, SPOL Architects, and others. She even founded her own design studio: Onsen!
A+I’s Selected Projects
Squarespace – New York, NY
A+I committed to designing and developing something that would transform the brand principles into a functional and stylish workspace that reflected the simplicity and sophistication of Squarespace’s product. Employees desired the atmosphere of a «off-site» without the burden of finding a location outside of the office. Consequently, sections that resemble residential and hospitality settings are accommodated by the design’s expansion.
Built to house Manhattan book, periodical, and newspaper publishers, the building is situated in the Hudson Square district of New York. Squarespace and other cutting-edge media and digital companies still reside in the building today.
Photos by A+I
Equinox Headquarters – New York, NY
Equinox commissioned A+I to design a sophisticated, all-encompassing workplace fit for this renowned business. The company’s first significant relocation since locating its headquarters in New York City thirty years ago is represented by the 117,000 square foot facility. The company’s largest fitness club and first Equinox hotel are housed in the same building as the new workplace, which houses the executive, marketing, design, construction, and operations departments.
A+I discovered via a strategic engagement process that Equinox required a new location that would prioritize individual and environmental sustainability, foster greater creativity and innovation, amplify movement while uniting people, and represent Equinox’s changing identity as a leading luxury lifestyle brand.
The facility, which spans four levels, is set out as a constellation of program elements that represent the exercise, nutrition, and regeneration main principles of Equinox. These elements are connected by a variety of work and meeting rooms, inviting passageways, and clear sightlines. The design creates a completely new, high-performance work area by combining and adapting aspects from the Equinox Hotel and exercise clubs.
Photos by A+I
Publicis Groupe, ‘Le Truc’ Clubhouse – New York, NY
A+I worked closely with the French advertising powerhouse Publicis Groupe to design and implement an altogether new creative office environment, a ‘Clubhouse for Creativity,’ on a complete floor in the heart of the company’s main building at 375 Hudson Street. Together, they set out to create Le Truc, the company’s new collective, a place that would elevate and unleash creativity.
A+I created the space as a thatch of vastly various habitats, allowing individuals or groups to wander between surroundings that support the creative demands of the present. Bullpens, auditoriums, libraries, nooks, niches, and flexible collaboration lounges are located close together, allowing individuals to collaboratively test an idea or withdraw to improve one.
The resulting setting, which has significantly fewer workstations than headcount and instead more flexible, non-deterministic places, encourages choice and spontaneity. The area is a flexible playground of places that adapts to how individuals wish to work today, defying hierarchy and convention. It looks and functions unlike any other Publicis office environment.
Photos by A+I
We will be posting more projects by A+I in the upcoming weeks and months, so keep an eye out for more of their incredible work! Every Friday we will be posting a new Featured Company, so join us again next week!
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