Frederick Tang Architecture Designs Mack Weldon's NYC Headquarters
Brooklyn-based architecture and design studio Frederick Tang Architecture has completed the architectural renovation and interior design for the Manhattan headquarters of popular men’s apparel and lifestyle brand Mack Weldon. Inspired by Mack Weldon’s highly collaborative, informal office culture, Frederick Tang’s design is driven by adaptability. Across the space, enclosed rooms, open common areas, and custom modular furniture shapeshift fluidly to accommodate a range of functions—from individual work sessions and large-scale meetings to casual group lunches and collection launches. Custom details embedded throughout echo the clothing line’s sensibility: modern and sophisticated yet playful.
The headquarters accommodates 45 Mack Weldon employees and is set within a 5,200-square-foot, 6th floor loft on Broadway just North of the Flatiron District in Manhattan. When conceiving the office layout, Frederick Tang Architecture played off of the space’s unique boomerang-shaped footprint (the result of Broadway cutting the Manhattan grid at an angle) as well as a string of 19 windows that wrap two sides and flood the entire space with light. “We didn't want to block the natural light with private offices or conference rooms,” says principal Frederick Tang, “so we ended up preserving the peripheral areas for shared open office space.”
As a result, common areas including open-format workspaces, lounges, and a kitchen border the expanse of windows. Together, they form a luminous corridor that surrounds a core of “closed” programs, including four conference rooms (which require visual and acoustic separation) and storage spaces. These enclosed rooms cluster next to the center of the building and on either side of the office’s entryway.
Both open and enclosed spaces throughout the office were designed with fluid movement and transformation in mind. As a fast-growing start-up, Mack Weldon required that all areas accommodate different uses, as well as a mobile staff (including a CEO) who work collaboratively throughout the office. “When we first met with them, it was clear that the same space might be used for a still life photoshoot one day, a changing room another day, a funding presentation, and a happy hour party,” says Tang. “So a degree of flexibility was important.”
Custom furniture, a signature element of Frederick Tang’s overarching practice, enhances this sense of mutability. Eight modular, trapezoidal tables in the kitchen can link to form a perfect rectangle for a more formal presentation, split apart as standalone workstations, or come together in unpredictable clusters that encourage casual interaction. Product display modules placed throughout the space simultaneously show off next season’s collection and function as dividers between the conference rooms and workstations, or between workstations and the kitchen. In the conference rooms, unique octagonal tables maximize the non-rectangular format of each space while creating an equal presence in the room (here, there is no head of the table).
The angular, irregular forms of the custom furniture and conference rooms draw from Mack Weldon’s zigzagging logo (informed by the brand’s initials), as well as its commitment to innovation; the design team is known for inventing new, breathable fabrics. “Our design process will always start with the best fabrics,” states the Mack Weldon’s mission statement, “and if we can’t find what we need, we’ll invent it.” Additionally, the office’s color scheme is informed by the company’s branding palette of gray, white, and blue. Each conference room uses a different combination of these hues, mixing and matching them across floor covering, upholstery, and furniture, as well as features an angular decal also informed by the Mack Weldon logo.
The smallest enclosed room stands out from other conference areas. Inspired by a “gentlemen's library,” the carpet was removed to expose a wooden floor and the walls were painted a rich gray. Vintage furniture such as a mid-century shelf unit with desk station, Wim Den Boon lounge chairs, and playful details such as a pencil sharpener, radio, and Italian calendar, bring a casual warmth to the space.
The Mack Weldon headquarters is one of several collaborations (and counting) between Frederick Tang Architecture and Mack Weldon; the firm has also designed the brand’s inaugural retail space in Hudson Yards and an apartment combination for CEO Brian Berger.
Project Information:
Architect: Frederick Tang Architecture
Project Team: Amy Chang, Cheng Chen, Alexis Coir, Barbara Reyes, Frederick Tang, Jordan Walters
Size: 5,200 square feet
Completed: 2019
Photography: Gieves Anderson
Interior Furnishings:
Office: Work stations by Poppin; Work desks from Design Within Reach; Shelving and Sofas by Ferm Living
Conference Room: Tables are fabricated by AC Woodworking, Chairs are custom fabricated by M Contrast (formerly Studio TAG) with three different shades of upholstery by Camira Fabrics, Light fixtures by Coronet
Kitchen: Trazpezoidal tables are fabricated by Whaleyard
Misc: Pop-up retail installation frames fabricated by CAIN CAIN Studio (not pictured)
About Mack Weldon:
Mack Weldon is reinventing men's essentials with smart design, performance fabrics, and a simple customer experience. The brand's signature line of underwear, socks, t-shirts, sweats, and polo shirts are engineered to promote comfort, mobility, and performance. It's innovative e-commerce store features an easy shopping experience and volume-based pricing. The company has been recognized by leading fashion, lifestyle, and general interest press including The New York Times, WWD, GQ, CNBC, The Wall Street Journal, and Men's Health. Mack Weldon is based in New York City and was founded in 2012 by Brian Berger.
