HLW

Celebrating #BlackHistoryMonth together at our New York HQ.    We marked the occasion with a luncheon featuring incredible dishes from Black-owned restaurants and local chefs, a vibrant spread that brought our team together over great food, conversation, and community.    It was a joyful way to recognize and support Black entrepreneurs while honoring the culture, creativity, and contributions that continue to shape our cities and industry. #HLW #Community #StudioCulture #SupportBlackOwned #OfficeCulture

Come join us at Workspace Design Show London and hear from our amazing Senior Designer, Samuel Edmonds!

Is the office really "dead" or simply being held to a higher standard? In his latest Op-Ed with CoStar, Pendrick Brown, HLW's Managing Director in London, challenges the prevailing narrative. Expansion deals are rising, Grade A space dominates take-up, and prime rents continue to climb. London isn't shrinking, it's becoming more selective. Pendrick explores how occupiers are using re-gears, phased upgrades, and targeted reuse as strategic levers, not stopgaps, while awaiting the next wave of high-quality supply. In today's constrained market, the most critical decisions happen before a lease is signed: stress-testing demand, aligning ESG ambitions with financial realities, and ensuring design genuinely supports performance and culture. If offices are competing harder than ever, are we designing them well enough? Read more here: https://lnkd.in/dFsCHvQK Featured London projects: Winston & Strawn LLP, DV Trading LLC, Grant Thornton UK, and Core Five. Project photography by HUFTON & CROW LTD #HLW #LondonProperty #WorkplaceStrategy #CommercialRealEstate #OfficeDesign

If there’s no clear data proving five days in the office drives productivity, why are we still treating it as the gold standard? HLW’s Development Director, Kirsty Angerer, joined Workstories to discuss how #Millennials and #GenZ are challenging outdated workplace assumptions, from rigid office mandates to the idea that career growth must mean managing people. What if performance isn’t about presence? What if leadership isn’t one-size-fits-all? As expectations evolve, so must the spaces and the systems that support them. Read the full conversation in the latest issue of Works. magazine: https://lnkd.in/eP3XWuRH What does productivity actually look like in your organisation today? #HLW #RoundTable #FutureOfWork #WorkplaceStrategy #Leadership

High-performance labs. High-performance sustainability. We’re excited to share that Avantor’s office and laboratory in Bridgewater, NJ has achieved LEED Silver Certification, in collaboration with BEYOND, HLW’s sustainability specialty studio. Designing complex environments such as BSL-2 viral labs and clean rooms to collaborative offices and amenity spaces demands precision at every scale. Sustainability was embedded from day one through thoughtful material selection and coordinated delivery. In the video below, our Senior Project Manager, Erin Vasold, AIA, NCIDQ, LEED AP, shares more about the strategies that made this achievement possible. Congratulations to Avantor and the entire project team on this milestone. #HLW #LEEDSilver #SustainableDesign #LaboratoryDesign #HealthyMaterials #HighPerformanceDesign #Pharma #LabSpace

Repositioning done right creates measurable impact. HLW’s transformation of 8 Sylvan Way reimagines 24,000 square feet of lobby and amenity space to enhance tenant appeal, strengthen first impressions, and elevate long-term asset value. From hospitality-driven interiors to upgraded exterior arrival, every move was designed to sharpen this property’s competitive edge. See how thoughtful repositioning can reshape perception and performance: https://lnkd.in/ezNMZDnu Lighting design by Spark Studio Lighting Design Brand experience by brandx #HLW #NewJersey #WorkplaceDesign #Architecture #InteriorDesign #BuildingRepositioning #CommercialRealEstate #DesignExcellence

From dumplings to zodiac debates. 🥟🐎 This week, our New York HQ gathered during All Hands to celebrate the Lunar New Year, ringing in the Year of the Fire Horse with a feast, red envelopes, sweet treats, and a little friendly competition.   We shared niangao, compared zodiac signs (lots of Rats, Dogs, and Roosters in the room!), and wrapped up the evening with a spirited Winter Olympics–themed game.   Moments like these remind us that culture isn’t just something we design for our clients; it’s something we cultivate within our own studio. Grateful for the chance to come together, celebrate traditions, and start the year energized.   Wishing everyone a joyful and prosperous New Year. 🧧   #LunarNewYear #HLW #OfficeCulture #YearOfTheHorse #AllHands

The quietest office isn’t always the most productive. In Propmodo’s latest article on workplace acoustics by Franco Faraudo, Brian Ledder, Senior Design Strategist in HLW’s Ark Strategic Consulting Specialty Studio, challenges the assumption that silence equals focus. What matters isn’t just volume; it’s the quality, variability, and character of #sound within a space. As Brian explains, a steady mechanical hum feels very different from intermittent human activity even at similar decibel levels. Those distinctions shape comfort, collaboration, and cognitive performance in measurable ways. A thoughtful read for anyone rethinking workplace performance: https://lnkd.in/eCSfkm_X #HLW #WorkplaceDesign #WorkplaceStrategy #HumanCenteredDesign #Acoustics #ArkStrategy #SoundDesign #OfficePerformance

This underwriting client’s 40,000-square-foot Manhattan workplace expresses brand identity through architecture, materiality, and crafted detail. Spanning three floors, the design blends hospitality-driven amenity spaces with flexible environments for collaboration and focus. Herringbone flooring, bespoke millwork, and subtle blue accents quietly reinforce the brand, while warm natural finishes and biophilic elements create a calm, grounded atmosphere. Discover how thoughtful detailing and material restraint shape a workplace that feels sophisticated, welcoming, and distinctly their own: https://lnkd.in/eyj9Fszd Photography by Peter Kubilus #HLW #WorkplaceDesign #InteriorDesign #NewYorkDesign #Sustainability #HumanCentredDesign #BiophilicDesign #CorporateInteriors

Visual comfort isn’t a “nice to have.” It’s fundamental to how people experience work. In the latest episode of #ComfortMatters, the podcast series produced by Shaw Contract EMEA, Gavin H., Design Director - EMEA at HLW, joins Mark Eltringham to explore why visual comfort shaped by light, color, materiality, and layout is often one of the most overlooked aspects of workplace design. As offices move beyond one-size-fits-all solutions, Gavin shares how architects design for nuance: different tasks, different sensitivities, and different definitions of what feels “comfortable.” From daylight strategies and task-based lighting to autonomy, control, and inclusive design that supports neurodiversity, this conversation unpacks how sensory comfort shows up in real projects and why it matters more than ever. Check out the episode here: https://lnkd.in/gaK8cTp2 And learn more about this series: https://lnkd.in/eEw-_Qgb #ComfortMatters #WorkplaceDesign #VisualComfort #InclusiveDesign #Neurodiversity #Architecture #HLW #DesignDiscussion