Rebooting the Aging Office Building:
Design for Wellness

While Manhattan’s class A office market recovers from the pandemic exodus, demand for class B and C buildings languishes in the face of increased tenant expectations. Investing in technology and infrastructure alone is not enough to coax back the contemporary hybrid workforce. What this group wants is a healthy work environment with access to natural light and outside air, features uncharacteristic of older buildings.

The Challenge: Submit an innovative recladding strategy for a c.1928 office building that maximizes access to natural light and air while preserving or enhancing its architectural character.

Each design Challenge seeks to generate ideas for ways in which to advance wellness, resilience and quality of life in the built environment. The focus of the 2026 Challenge is the older office building that is finding itself structurally unsuited for the demands of the contemporary workforce.

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