Quartz moments: Shaping the office layout

Quartz is moving to a new office in New York. We’re documenting it here because many of our questions apply to other startups. Our introduction explains more about what we’re up to. Follow our publication for updates.

This is the close-to-final layout of the office. The new plan balances many needs that are common to a growing company: work desk areas, meeting areas, and informal gathering spaces that we have named the Quartzy spaces (shown in yellow on the plan).

What is so critical about the Quartzy spaces? Everything.

It’s easy to start packing these flexible zones out with more desks, but as an office expands in size the need for break-out/brainstorming/social gathering spaces becomes even more critical to support a company culture and the collaborative process that should be imbedded in its DNA. As these Quartzy spaces evolve, they will be shaped by the identities and aspirations of the people who work at Quartz.

Quartz’s current Park Avenue South office has approximately 120 desks; the new office will start with 160 desks with room to grow over time.