WNYC Studios and The Greene Space

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WNYC is America's most listened-to public radio station and the producer of award-winning programs and podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, The New Yorker Radio Hour, and The Brian Lehrer Show, which starts the daily conversation about local and national politics, as well as the personal details of what communities have on their mind. WNYC was launched more than a hundred years ago with the ambition to serve as the voice of New York and they certainly rose to that challenge. No other radio station or podcast represents the New York community as well as WNYC. Once scattered over eight floors in the Manhattan Municipal Building, their relocation to Varick Street allowed WNYC to consolidate to three floors of a repurposed printing building in SoHo, to double their number of recording studios and booths to 31, and to expand their newsroom to accommodate more than 60 journalists. There is also a 140-seat, street-level studio for live broadcasts, concerts and public forums—The Jerome L. Greene Space, "The Greene Space."

Sometimes large companies find it challenging to convey their nimbleness and local flavor to clients looking for a few-floor fit-out, especially when a builder is famous for multi-billion dollar high-rises. That was the ongoing perception that the interiors group was facing. One thing that really helped win this job was the fact that WNYC was relocating to the very same neighborhood as the builder, only two blocks away. This proximity was key to letting WNYC know that they were always a five-minute walk away. On the back of the proposal, as a final visual note, was placed a satellite image of the new studio location and the builder's national headquarters and New York office building. The presentation was also attended by die-hard WNYC fans among the builder's proposed staff. A strong connection was made to the neighborhood in that the builder had moved to that area when the old printing buildings were being converted to office spaces, as well as the fact that they had started in New York City and had recently celebrated their 100th year.

A place does not have to be a physical space in the built environment but rather a shared dialogue. WNYC is in the air of New York City, both technically and poetically. It enters the homes and offices of everyone who tunes in to participate in the conversation. WNYC aligns the residents of New York and New Jersey with the ideals of its great metropolis. Conversations from presidents to building superintendents can be weighed in on by the average listener. The Greene Space is on the corner of busy Manhattan streets so passersby can look through the ground floor windows to see what panel discussion or musical act is onstage performing live. This pedestrian perk certainly fosters New York Public Radio's mission: to make the mind more curious, the heart more open and the spirit more joyful. In contrast to made-for-millions broadcasts and podcasts, The Greene Space's goal is to influence the world, one audience member at a time, by leading thought-provoking conversations and curating performances with local and global significance.