Type: Mixed-Use Office
Developer: The Olayan Group
Owner: The Olayan Group
Architects: Adamson Associates Architects, Snøhetta, Gensler, Rockwell Group
Site Size: 0.84 acres (0.34 ha)
Date Opened: November 17, 2022
Date Completed: November 17, 2022
Building Area: 850,000 square feet (78,968 sq m)
Open Space: 0.5 acres (0.2 ha)
Parking Spaces: 17
Designed by noted architects Philip Johnson and John Burgee and constructed in 1984, 550 Madison Avenue has a curved roof pediment that reminded enough people of Chippendale furniture to earn the nickname “the Chippendale Building.” Globally recognized as an influential postmodern masterpiece, it once served as headquarters for AT&T and later Sony, then became the youngest edifice to be designated a New York City landmark. The Olayan Group purchased it in 2016 to rework the single-tenant tower into a multi-tenant, mixed-use office building that prioritizes occupant wellness and environmental sustainability.
The design team revamped and opened up a dark, once-enclosed mid-block passageway, doubling the size of the building’s public space so that local residents, workers, and visitors can stroll and relax in the landscaped space—dubbed The 550 Garden—and take advantage of three kiosks that offer local and artisanal foods and beverages. The garden also serves as a venue for community events and festivals. Snøhetta replaced the dark windows on the ground floor with low-iron glass to enhance transparency.
A dedicated outdoor air-filtration system pumps fresh air inside. The health and wellness center offers spa services and nutritional support, with spaces for meditation, yoga, acupuncture, and massage. The library includes resources on wellness, nutrition, art, culture, sustainability, and more.
550 Madison Avenue has achieved WELL Gold and LEED Platinum certifications. Low-flow plumbing fixtures conserve water. The garden’s glass canopy captures rainwater for reuse in irrigation, saving more than 93,000 gallons of water annually, and the landscaping reduces the area’s air temperature. Contractors were able to recycle or salvage 75 percent of all construction waste. Renewable energy credits offset 35 percent of the building’s electricity usage.
Gensler redesigned the arched entryway as a lobby with a 70-foot ceiling, terrazzo floor, and walls of white marble and mesh panels. Sunlight through the multistory arched-glass window illuminates the lobby’s centerpiece, Alicja Kwade’s “Solid Sky,” a 24-ton piece of quartzite suspended above the floor.
The Olayan Group worked with the city’s Landmarks Preservation Commission and government officials to protect significant elements of the historic building, leaving 94 percent of the distinctive pink granite exterior unchanged and ensuring that updates to the building code maintained the spirit of the original design.
550 Madison has received numerous accolades for its design, sustainability, and community impact. Recognized by the New York Landmarks Conservancy with its Chairman’s Award in 2021, the Manhattan high-rise also received the Skyscraper Museum’s 2022 Making New York History Award. The garden design has won recognition from the local chapters of the American Society of Landscape Architects and the American Institute of Architects, and the lobby itself has garnered multiple honors, including Popular Choice at the Architizer A+Awards Popular Choice.
