Perspectives
01 October 2024
Situated in the heart of Manhattan, New York, Macquarie’s new Americas headquarters at 660 Fifth Avenue represents more than 30 years of growth and innovation in the region.
As the anchor tenant of the building – which has recently undergone a significant refurbishment – Macquarie occupies over 250,000 square feet across seven interconnected floors, with sky signage and 25,000 square feet of private outdoor space.
This next generation workplace is home to more than 1,300 employees. It has been designed to embrace Macquarie’s focus on growth and evolution in the region, and support the wellbeing of its people, while promoting its globally connected culture by enhancing collaboration across Macquarie’s businesses and with colleagues and partners around the world.
View of the “Avenue”, a cascading series of staff-focused spaces designed to promote and support informal interactions.
Our new workplace at 660 Fifth Avenue reflects Macquarie’s commitment to our people and creating spaces that foster connection, collaboration and innovation.”
Shawn Lytle
Head of Americas
After surveying more than 100 potential sites around Manhattan, 660 Fifth Avenue was chosen for its authentic commitment to sustainability, its large, open floor plates which support flexibility and connectivity, and the building’s central location providing ease of access for employees and clients, as well as opportunities to engage in the surrounding midtown district.
Located between 52nd and 53rd Streets, 660 Fifth Avenue was initially constructed in 1957 by New York design studio Carson & Lundin. The building’s current owner, Brookfield Properties, has undertaken a $US400 million redevelopment project to future-proof the 67-year-old property, saving significant emissions on the alternative of demolition and reconstruction.
The opening of the new Americas headquarters coincides with Macquarie’s 30 year anniversary of growth, innovation and collaboration in the region.
The new headquarters is contributing to Macquarie’s goal of having 80 per cent of employees in sustainably rated premises by FY2025.1 Both the base building and the interior workplace are targeting LEED Gold certification, and the base building was selected as one of six inaugural commercial sites for the Empire Building Challenge - New York State’s program to elevate new design approaches for low-carbon retrofits in New York’s high-rise buildings.
Aerial image of 660 Fifth Avenue featuring new Macquarie sky signage.
The new façade of the 39-story office building is reclad in 11x19 foot glass panels – some of the largest windows ever used on an office redevelopment in New York City. This custom glass facade provides unobstructed, floor-to-ceiling windows, maximising daylight and views of the city.
The workplace features a central atrium of cascading, staff-focused spaces, connecting all seven of the floors it will occupy together in a continuous, activated “Avenue” that is designed to curate and support informal interactions among people.
Building upon Macquarie’s legacy of colourful, connective staircases within its workplaces, the staircase at 660 Fifth Avenue features a warm brass colour that draws inspiration from New York City’s heritage of brass architectural details and reflects the beauty of the city’s famous urban sunrises and sunsets, when the sun stays low on the horizon and creates a warm glow over the city skyline.
As we see so much continued opportunity in the United States, our new Americas headquarters positions us to deepen our client and community relationships to help us drive real-world impact.”
Shawn Lytle
Head of Americas
The new space contains facilities for the Macquarie Foundation and Macquarie people to engage with local non-profit community partners and institutions. Initiatives include hosting a community gallery for local organisations to curate and display their art; activating a leadership series for New York City students to attend speaker programs and mentorship events with Macquarie staff; and welcoming non-profit partners to utilise Macquarie meeting spaces when conducting work in midtown Manhattan.
Supporting our ongoing investment in the Americas, Macquarie recently opened new workplaces in Philadelphia, Sao Paulo and Santiago, and will soon complete the renovation of our Houston office.
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