Mancini Duffy Elevates Waterfront Workspaces At Hudson Collaborative

Jersey City’s spectacular view of Manhattan is a nice perk for employees in its waterfront office buildings. Yet on the 13,450-square-foot amenity floor at 3 Second Street—smack on the Hudson River—Mancini Duffy had to balance the scenery with a need for privacy for the Hudson Collaborative. The firm aimed to preserve natural light and a sense of openness while delineating separate spaces like a lounge, conference center, office suites, and a grab-and-go food shop. The team conceived a dark blue and gray palette that contrasts with the bright exterior, drawing attention to the vistas. Semitransparent partitions include an operable oak-slat wall, open-sided bookshelves, and seating niches carved into public corridors. “The space feels both expansive and intimate,” Mancini Duffy senior associate and project lead Anthony Deen says. Tenants can use it for coworking, meetings, or large events. Such hospitality-inspired details as a woven-metal chandelier, sculptural ceiling baffles, and custom millwork in rift white oak contribute to a cohesive aesthetic throughout.

Elkus Manfredi Architects Crafts A Cutting-Edge Life Sciences Hub

The former Western Electric Company headquarters in Watertown, Massachusetts, was not an obvious place for a cutting-edge life-sciences research facility. Approximately 10 miles west of Boston, the 1931 structure was built for heavy industrial manufacturing and most recently held an insurance company office. Though it retained its art deco exterior, no period details remained inside. But its large size, solidity, and proximity to Harvard University and MIT caught the eye of developer Spear Street Capital. It tapped local firm Elkus Manfredi Architects to transform the seven-story building into Watertown Exploratory Labs (WELL), a state-of-the-art campus for life-sciences research and development.

Elkus Manfredi was up for the challenge. Ranking 75th on the Interior Design top 100 Giants list for 2025, the firm has completed major scientific research centers, namely the 250,000-square-foot TMC3 Collaborative Building at the Texas Medical Center in Houston, and adaptive reuse projects like Boston’s 401 Park, an art deco landmark turned community hub. Elkus Manfredi also ranked in the top 50 on last year’s healthcare, hospitality, and sustainability Giants lists, and brought that breadth of expertise to WELL, understanding both the engineering necessary for lab and manufacturing facilities and how to create a campus that brings innovators together—a top priority for Spear Street.

Inside The Futuristic Campus for Watertown Exploratory Labs

“We were building a community,” Elkus Manfredi principal Elizabeth Lowrey begins. Unlike a university or corporate client, there was no existing identity to work with, so she and her team had to start from scratch. The site itself led the way. “It had texture, authenticity, and a story,” she continues. It’s also located on the Watertown-Cambridge Greenway, and many employees would bike to work. Studying the neighborhood and prospective end users, Elkus Manfredi knew that it needed to bring in daylight, create access to the outdoors, and instill a sense of history.

None of those elements existed when Lowrey first visited. “It was depressing and dark. Imagine an insurance company in an old movie with lots of cubicles and long corridors,” she recalls. There was an atrium from the 1990’s, but it was inexplicably hidden: “You had no idea how to get there because it was buried in the middle.” Elkus Manfredi gutted the 520,000-square-foot structure and made the atrium its heart, extending it so it’s visible from the entry. The firm added windows to the ground floor and garage doors that open to a private courtyard. “It was like turning it inside out—the interiors had been very insular. Now they’re open to nature and light penetrates deep inside,” Lowrey says. She also relocated the main entrance from the street to the back, near the bike path and garage, and installed a welcoming forecourt. These interventions, as well as preserving the original building, helped the project earn LEED Gold certification.

Letting In Light Through This Breathtaking Atrium

The 26,500-square-foot amenity space, which includes a flexible work lounge, café, gym, and conference center, revolves around the atrium. “It’s about placemaking, not checking a box that there’s a spot to get coffee or work out,” Lowrey explains. “The tenants all share this town square.” Using urban-planning principles, Elkus Manfredi created magnets that pull people in, starting with the bright atrium lounge and adjacent coffee bar and café. “If you create a heart where people want to be, it gives the space a pulse,” Lowrey notes. Employees from different companies will naturally meet there, potentially sparking new ideas.

Site-specific artworks help define WELL’s identity. Three murals, a particularly huge one in the lobby, depict subatomic particle decay patterns and images of space and plants. In the lounge, circular paintings of clouds are like portholes bringing the outside in. Elkus Manfredi also formulated wall graphics based on shadows coming through the building’s windows.

A Stylish Research Facility Nodding To The 1930s

A visitor could easily mistake the atrium for a stylish hotel lobby. But there are spaces for high-tech labs all around it. WELL can house up to 2,300 people, many of whom will be involved in therapeutic research for treating medical conditions. Elkus Manfredi had to conceive new infrastructure for labs, and ensure it would be flexible enough to support them as technology and equipment evolves. The firm gutted a small two-story section of the old building, and then topped it with two floors, yielding a four-story addition for utilities and manufacturing capabilities—essentially all the systems necessary for the power, fresh air, lab exhaust, water, and chemical-waste handling—allowing researchers to develop therapies and medical devices on-site.

Subtle industrial and art deco references also appear throughout the project. Curved reconfigurable banquettes, fluted wood columns and ribbed glass panels, and geometric stained glass in the coffee bar channel a 1930’s aesthetic. A distressed circular pattern on the concrete floor is “like a palimpsest of the old building,” Lowrey says. In the café, dozens of vintage-looking pickle jars serve as a clever veiling device between the food-service and dining areas.

WELL will likely hold around 10 tenants, ranging from startups to established companies. Once employees move in, Lowrey can envision how their days will play out, from meeting colleagues for coffee to having a midday workout and gathering for a building-wide event. It will function like a university campus: comfortable, lively, and brimming with promise.

Walk Through The Watertown Exploratory Labs Facility 

A Stylish Facility Full Of Community + Color

ELKUS MANFREDI ARCHITECTS: DAVID P. MANFREDI; STEVE DUBE; LAWRENCE KO; RAHISSA MELO WANG; JEFF SALOCKS; GREG BUCKINGHAM; JARED TATTERSALL; JUNAID ABBASI; ELIZABETH STEVENS; DREA PLUMMER; OREN SHERMAN. CASTELLI DESIGN: LIGHTING DESIGN. EMILY FINE ART: ART CONSULTANT. WHITNEY VEIGAS: CUSTOM SIGNAGE. MCNAMARA SALVIA: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. WSP: MEP. VHB: CIVIL ENGINEER. DAVIS ARCHITECTURAL WOODWORKING: MILLWORK. CONSIGLI: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.

FROM FRONT MUUTO: SOFAS (ATRIUM LOUNGE 1). COPPER & TWEED: ROUND COFFEE TABLE. ALLERMUIR: DINING CHAIRS (ATRIUM LOUNGE 1), BLACK CHAIRS (ATRIUM). HAY: LOUNGE CHAIRS (ATRIUM LOUNGE 1), COFFEE TABLES (ATRIUM LOUNGE 2). WEST ELM CONTRACT: BENCHES (ATRIUM LOUNGE 2), BISTRO TABLE (ATRIUM LOUNGE 1). GUS MODERN: LOUNGE CHAIRS. FRITZ HANSEN: SOFA. ROLL & HILL: LAMP. ARMSTRONG: CEILING SYSTEM. NIKARI: COMMUNAL TABLES (CAFÉ). KATHY KUO HOME: PENDANT FIXTURES. GRAND RAPIDS CHAIR: UPHOL­ STERED CHAIRS. OVERHEAD DOOR COMPANY: GARAGE DOORS. EXTREMIS: UMBRELLAS (COURTYARD). SPECTRUM LIGHTING: CUS­ TOM PENDANT FIXTURES (ATRIUM). HUGO & HOBY: CUSTOM TABLES, CUSTOM BANQUETTES. EXPORMIM: CHAIRS. ANCHOR HOCKING: JARS (CAFÉ). BRENTANO FABRICS: BANQUETTE UPHOLSTERY (ATRIUM LOUNGE 1). LIGHTNET: PENDANT FIXTURES (NORTH LOBBY). LUMI­ NART: PENDANT FIXTURES (CAFÉ). SCHOOL­ HOUSE: CEILING FIXTURES. DIVISION 9 COLLABORATIVE: COUNTER TILE. DEKTON COSENTINO: COUNTER SOLID SURFACING. ARPER: OTTOMANS (NORTH LOBBY), CHAIRS (CONFERENCE CENTER). ECORE ATHLETIC FLOORING: FLOORING (GYM). BUSINESS INTERIORS: CUSTOM FLOORING (ATRIUM). ANDREU WORLD: SQUARE TABLES. ACOUFELT: ACOUSTICAL WALL PANELING (CONFERENCE CENTER). EGE: CARPET. THROUGHOUT MAHARAM: ACOUSTICAL PANELING FABRIC, RUGS. SCOFIELD: CONCRETE FLOORING. ASTEK: CUSTOM WALLCOVERING.

Homeowners In This São Paulo Complex Enjoy Access To Adjacent Hotel

2024 Best of Year Winner for International Multiunit Housing

The 40-story tower is part of Praça Henrique Monteiro, a mixed-use complex designed by Studio Arthur Casas that includes an adjacent hotel. Sensitive to the neighborhood of São Paulo, Brazil, the 332,000-square-foot development has a cohesive visual identity that is distinct without disrupting the skyline. Its two volumes share a precast-concrete base and an elevated private garden, and both have metal brise-soleils on their facades. Wraparound terraces with glass guardrails distinguish the 68 apartments, which feel larger than their 2,500 square feet thanks to open layouts and 80 linear feet of floor-to-ceiling windows. A lower corridor connects residents to the hotel and a partially suspended, glass-enclosed mezzanine with the pool, spa, and gym; stone flooring and wooden ceilings unify the common areas. The project also enlivens the street outside with a widened, tree-lined sidewalk and public furniture, while glass walls invite pedestrians into the hotel’s restaurant and bakery.

PROJECT TEAM: ARTHUR CASAS; GABRIEL RANIERI; NARA TELLES; CADU VILLELA; FABIOLA ANDRADE; PAULA REAL; ADRIANO BERGEMANN; REGINALDO MACHADO; GABRIELA GODINHO; BEATRIZ MENDES; ROBERTO CABARITI; LUCIANO SESSA; RAFAELA FRANCO DE BARCELOS; ANA PAULA MENDES; RAIMUNDO BORGES; ALESSANDRA MATTAR; MITI SAMESHIMA; MARCELLA FRANÇA; JOÃO LISBOA; VICTORIA CHAVES; NATÁLIA LORENZONI; AUGUSTO MATTOS; VALENTINA LINDNER; AMANDA TAMBURUS; ANA MARIA PEDRESCHI; MARCELO BICALHO.

Statement Art Brings High Drama To This Manhattan Multiunit

2024 Best of Year Winner for Domestic Multiunit Housing

Beside the glossy supertalls of Billionaires’ Row, Anagram—a stately, 27-story building on Columbus Circle—is a welcome throwback. Inspired by the triangular sites along New York’s Broadway, INC Architecture & Design conceived it as a contemporary uptown Flatiron, adopting a similarly heroic form with rounded corners. An attention to detail and old-world craft ground the 140,000-square-foot structure in its location. The charcoal facade of Norman brick and weathered mortar joints cuts a dramatic profile worthy of the iconic public square below; the base of hand-laid bricks in algorithmic rotation recalls the stonework of historic residential towers nearby. In the lobby, a reception desk of hand-carved ash and site-specific artwork continue the considered approach. Soft curves, warm lighting, and tactile materials define the inviting interior, which incorporates cerused white oak, raw linen, pewter finishes, and low-luster concrete floors.

PROJECT TEAM: ADAM ROLSTON; GABRIEL BENROTH; DREW STUART; NEIL SHAH; LOUISA REVITTE; MARISSA ZANE; CHIH-KAI CHAN; JAY SHETH.

An Ethereal Sculpture Sparks Creativity In This Innovative Office

2024 Best of Year Winner for Small Corporate Office

“Human Spaces. Everyday Extraordinary.” That is the mantra of Vancouver, Canada, real estate developer Serein Properties, which aims to be artist-led, ambitious, and collaborative, creating properties that inspire and nurture. Its 2,400-square-foot headquarters by Mckinley Studios encapsulates these principles. For example, Rain from a Cloudless Sky, a large light-responsive sculpture of frosted polycarbonate, hand-etched acrylic rods, and knitted polyethylene bale wrap by Shirley Wiebe, hangs in the heart of the office, encouraging employees to think outside the box. At the entry, a tinted mirror–encased door imparts a sense of drama as it leads to a swirling black-marble kitchen with more mirrored surfaces and views over downtown. Beyond, a curved form is another intriguing focal point of the L-shape plan: Half is a glass-walled meeting room and half a wood pod that hosts AV displays of Serein projects. Together these luxe, unique elements yield a memorable and immersive visitor experience, a key goal for the client, while also expressing the company’s ethos.

PROJECT TEAM: JENN MEHRER; MIKE ROGERS.

Quirky Accents Meet Local Flair In Hotel Bardo Savannah

2024 Best of Year Winner for Boutique Hotel

Working with Left Lane hospitality and LS3P architecture, Atelier Pond embraced the city’s quirky charm in this chic renovation of Hotel Bardo Savannah, a 19th-century Southern Gothic structure on Forsyth Park. Elements bring together old and new in a riotous mix of styles, creating a feeling that the 149-key, 115,000-square-foot property was built over time. The turreted red-brick exterior conceals a palm-lined interior courtyard with a lap pool, cabanas, and bar that evoke an Italian lido. Other spaces are moodier, like the clubby lobby bar and Victorian main restaurant, its wood paneling and opulent chandeliers feeling straight out of the original mansion’s drawing rooms. Though transporting, Hotel Bardo is still rooted in the community. Furnishings incorporate such vernacular elements as fiber caning, oak construction, and brass details, and rooms highlight work by local artists, including the regional flora stenciled by muralist Vanessa Platacis on the peach walls of the private members’ club.

PROJECT TEAM: PHILIP POND. 

Inside A Mountain Chalet In Montana With Sweeping Views

2024 Best of Year Winner for Large Country House

The extreme weather conditions of a site 8,400 feet above sea level informed nearly every aspect of this 9,000-square-foot home in Big Sky, Montana. O’Neill Rose Architects positioned it in a cut in Lone Mountain to block harsh northwest winds, then built a tall stone base that withstands 12-foot-tall snowbanks and extends to support a cantilevered volume with views of the Spanish Peaks. The main inspiration came from timber snow fences, which are used across the American West to protect cattle from drifting snow. The design team translated the concept into a shou sugi ban–treated wood screen that wraps the upper level; it artfully captures snow in the facade and shelters outdoor areas like the hot tub terrace. Inside, a geothermal heating system, high-performance insulation, and triple-glazed windows form an energy-efficient cocoon. Fluted ash millwork references the mountain’s pole pines, and sculptural plaster ceilings recall snow drifts, creating serene spaces in constant dialogue with nature.

Discover A Meditative Museum Dedicated To Self-Reflection

2024 Best of Year Winner for Museum

Nearly 300 feet tall, the Statue of Belief is one of the world’s tallest monuments to the Hindu god Shiva. Opened in 2022, it has become a major tourist attraction in the city of Nathdwara, in the state of Rajasthan, India, drawing visitors who climb to the top or bungee jump beside it. Aatma Manthan Museum, the 18,000-square-foot museum at its base by Sanjay Puri Architects, brings pilgrims down to earth. Dedicated to self-reflection, Aatma Manthan derives its name from the Sanskrit words for soul, mind, and body, and is filled not with texts and artworks but immersive AV experiences. The meditative journey begins in a cavelike foyer, a fluid volume with mushroom columns, sloping walls, and undulating benches coated in gray foam concrete, its sound-absorbing properties ensuring tranquility. The 18 thematic rooms that follow feel more high-tech: Visitors walk past zigzagging mirrors and colorful projections of earth, water, and fire. Overcoming the challenges of an irregular floor plan and an unconventional site, the archi­tecture tells a story that invites introspection.

PROJECT TEAM: SANJAY PURI; MADHAVI BELSARE; PAYAL RAUT; SUBODH AMIN.

Inside The Nature-Influenced Australian Embassy In Washington, D.C.

2024 Best of Year Winner For Institutional

Australian culture does not easily translate into a government building. For one, the people are friendly, unlike many of today’s fortresslike embassies. Yet Melbourne-headquartered Bates Smart, along with the architect of record, DC’s KCCT, managed to create a secure, 260,000-square-foot facility for the Embassy of Australia in Washington D.C. that feels welcoming and nature-influenced, embodying the country’s spirit. The hues on the exterior change throughout the day, thanks to treated copper panels, slender and vertically oriented. The rhythm of the facade continues in the central atrium, which connects ground and sky and serves as an organizing space. All around, sunlight dapples through the glass ceiling and vertical eucalyptus-veneer paneling that evokes native forests. Natural illumination also fills the staff area, where the feature stair links breakout spaces and encourages easy movement between and interaction among departments. Furnishings showcase Australian craft; custom rugs in key rooms, for example, are based on First Nations artworks. The result is at once warm, engaging, and, having earned LEED Gold certification, sustainable.

Savor Crawfish At This Restaurant Overlooking The Dabaoen Temple

2024 Best of Year Winner for Shining Moment

Designer and Dayi Design firm founder Yi Zhou believes that often the best way to protect a historic monument is to integrate it into modern life, making it relevant and accessible to people today. Such was her strategy when she turned four ancient buildings totaling 27,000 square feet on the banks of the Qinhuai River into Big Red Crawfish, a seafood restaurant and commercial space in Nanjing, China. Inside, original doors and Taihu limestone meet an LED display that introduces movement and color. Intense color appears outside, where Dayi Design constructed a serpentine steel staircase painted a vibrant crawfish red. It flows over and around—but never touches—the one- and two-story structures, which, amazingly, date to 300 AD. Creating a striking contrast, the dragonlike connector serves multiple purposes: It is a fire escape that connects the upper floors, provides shelter for the ground level, unifies the 1⁄2-acre site, and offers views of the nearby Dabaoen Temple. For visitors, it’s also a popular location for photos—and now a landmark of its own.

yi zhou; haoyi chang; shizhe yang.