In repositioning a 1980’s office tower past its prime, we helped Nuveen Real Estate discover untapped value above- and below-grade. 780 Third Avenue was a building in need of a new image. Exemplary of the 1980’s office tower, the building is a pink granite, Postmodern punched-window totem, the rigorous graphic composition of which created a challenging interior space with a ground floor presence that read as defensive rather than welcoming.
A+I saw an opportunity to create a holistic experience that connected the building to the community, and opened up what was once an impenetrable fortress. Taking advantage of undervalued below-grade space, we filled it with amenities for the tenant base. By breaking through interior floor plates and adding skylights in the plaza, we brought natural light deep into the building’s subterranean levels, and increased the value of underutilized real estate.
Those same spatial moves visually connect the amenity spaces to the main lobby, engendering a fuller building community. Lush plantings bring the outside in, and new work-forward food and beverage offerings including a coffee bar in the lobby called Arable, and a full service restaurant called Lafolia, elevate the amenities to deliver desirable spaces that attract.
And about that pink granite. Our integrated teams of architects, interior designers, and brand designers developed material palettes that respected the existing stone and brought it into the 21st century. We developed unique branding for the various amenity spaces, each with its own name, graphics, and color palette. And of course, we’ve redesigned the exterior plaza to make it more lush and welcoming, extending the use of plantings into the interior and even below grade.
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