Most office design collaborations begin with a brief. This one began over a Fourth of July weekend, when designer William Stuart of Costantini Design and Andy D’Amico, founder of Urban Atelier Group, met while gallery-hopping in Southampton. Their shared enthusiasm for inventive workplace design ultimately led to UAG’s new Manhattan headquarters—a celebration of artful construction, masterful craftsmanship, and the beauty of raw materials. “This was a project of trust,” Andy D’Amico says. “I gave my trust to Will.”
Located at 41 Madison Avenue, the new headquarters encompasses 25,268 square feet, spanning the entirety of the 12th and 13th floors. Upon entry, the tone is set by a sculptural reception desk combining fiberglass, bronze, onyx, and wood. The resulting piece makes a strong visual statement without overpowering the space.
Throughout the headquarters, Stuart embraces a diverse material palette while allowing each material to retain its character. Four Benone conference tables offer creative freedom through distinct combinations of marble, indigo-stained Argentine rosewood, hand-patinated steel, and parchment. Each surface preserves its original textures and irregularities, reinforcing the sense that these are crafted objects rather than simply functional furnishings.
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“The most surprising and ambitious piece we installed was the light installation over the stairway,” says Stuart. “This was something I had never made before and certainly not at this scale.” The reception desk introduces the office’s larger story of material, craftmanship, and construction through a blend of fiberglass, onyx, bronze, and wood. UAG’s new headquarters contains 6.5 tons of furniture and art. “UAG is not just a business,” says D’Amico. “It’s a place where people have purpose. It’s a company that serves its employees.” The cast-bronze Benone bases changed from room to room: polished for stone, raw for wood, ombré for steel and etched for mosaic. The office was built around a deliberately broad material vocabulary: cast bronze, marble, Argentine rosewood, indigo-stained wood, and patinated steel. The trust that developed between Stuart and D’Amico allowed the project to evolve beyond a conventional designer and client relationship, resulting in refreshing creative freedom.
“As an artist, I tend to err on the unfinished side,” says William Stuart. “I love the element of chance when I’m making art, because when nature intervenes, it creates one-of-a-kind pieces.”
That philosophy extends beyond its functional pieces. Leftover steel remnants from the conference tables were transformed into collaborative, site-specific artwork, turning the residue of construction into a narrative of its own. Inspired by prehistoric artifacts, an ambitious 18-pendant Arche light fixture hangs suspended over the stairway, creating a constellation of pendants that is asymmetrical yet figuratively balanced.
The continuous materiality throughout UAG’s new headquarters reflects D’Amico’s vision: construction that stems from raw materials and transforms them into beautiful objects and buildings. Through their partnership, D’Amico and Stuart were not simply designing an office for a construction management company. They were creating an environment where people are inspired to collaborate, learn, and grow.
“This office reflects where I want to work, what it looks and feels like,” says D’Amico. “A workplace and culture that embodies trust: inside to our employees, outside to our clients, and to each other.”
Source: https://interiordesign.net
