Repositioning of Amenities at 540 Madison Avenue

This article is originally from the New York Real Estate Journal.

Vocon has completed a repositioning project for 540 Madison Avenue, transforming the Midtown tower’s mechanical areas, unused terrace, water tower and other areas into dynamic amenity spaces.

The 39-story 291,000 s/f class A office is located at the corner of East 55th St. and Madison Ave. Vocon’s interior designers repositioned the 11th- and 12th-floor mechanical areas of the Plaza District office property into “The Water Tower Club,’’ a 6,000 s/f tenant lounge that showcases the building’s water tower. The employee lounge includes a coffee bar, concierge, an outdoor terrace, multiple conference rooms and a private shower refresh area.

Light wood paneling accents the coffee bar, users can work and unwind in wooden booths with comfy light gray fabric benches and white tables or utilize lounge chairs along the building’s windows.

Floor-to-ceiling retractable glass doors open up to a conference room outfitted with a large white square conference table with white leather chairs. Vocon also created a casual new amenity conference area, nicknamed the “Fireside Room,” with a fireplace and gray mid-century couches.

Upstairs, Vocon designed smaller, narrower lounge spaces because the floors are home to building equipment. Tenants are free to enjoy another new coffee bar and a 1,500 s/f outdoor terrace with seating and a pergola. Vocon surrounded the building’s distinct, rounded wormwood water tower, which juts into a hallway, with plants.

The building’s new private refresh area has a boutique gym feel with blonde wood lockers and gray terrazzo stone showers. Vocon also renovated the building’s lobby, resurfacing the oak walls, recladding the reception desk in black marble and adding a seating area.

In addition, Vocon created a richly decorated new inner lobby separate from the entrance lobby. Tenants can use keycards to open double doors to a space full of contemporary wall art, more seats in another café full of tables and a “refresh bar.” A dedicated concierge adds to the office tower’s comfort and conveniences.

Through this amenities repositioning project, “Vocon created captivating spaces where workers want to come and stay to be productive and find peace of mind,” said Tom Vecchione, Vocon New York managing principal.

“The new 540 Madison office tower has more of an upscale and residential feel. It’s a trophy office tower – a place where employees can sip steaming cups of coffee over laptops in an elegant new café or enjoy Madison Ave. views.”