Building on its commitment to collaborative design innovation, the architecture and urban design firm Cooper Robertson has announced the opening of its new offices near South Street Seaport in Lower Manhattan. Intended to foster closer collaboration with clients and colleagues, the firm’s move to this dynamic workplace comes at a significant moment as Cooper Robertson embarks on major new commissions and prepares for the 2025 opening of several high-profile museums and other projects.

“For architects and urban designers, a progressive workplace for cutting-edge planning and design is critical in strengthening relationships with clients and enabling our team members to do their best work,” said John Kirk, AIA, a partner at Cooper Robertson and leader of the planning and design effort behind the new offices. “Face-to-face mentorship that supports the next generation of practitioners is essential,” continued Kirk.

“As we continue our growth trajectory and look to the future, creating an inspiring and effective working environment for our team is a top priority,” added Cooper Robertson partner Erin Flynn, RA, LEED AP.

The real estate group CBRE, which manages the modern, 29-story building at 40 Fulton Street, and the brokers Newmark, who represented Cooper Robertson in securing its lease, adds that the new workspace also reflects the firm’s 45-plus year commitment to New York City’s Lower Manhattan neighborhood, underscoring the Financial District’s continued status as a hub for creative industries, including architecture, engineering, and allied fields. 

Known globally for work that supports strong and resilient communities, Cooper Robertson is a leading architect and planner of museums and cultural facilities, an expert in urban mixed-use districts and campus planning, and an award-winning designer of educational buildings, waterfront spaces, and public realm projects of all types. The firm is led by a group of acclaimed partners including Mike Aziz, AIA, LEED AP, Bruce Davis, AIA, LEED AP, Erin Flynn, RA, LEED AP, and John Kirk, AIA, alongside Director Elizabeth Stoel, AIA, LEED AP BD+C.

Among the upcoming milestones for Cooper Robertson in 2025 are highly anticipated openings for a new building for the Studio Museum in Harlem; a new Princeton University Art Museum in New Jersey; and a major expansion at New York City’s New Museum, designed in collaboration with OMA. Cooper Robertson has also taken on new commissions for large-scale master planning, campus planning, and architecture projects in the cities of Bellevue, Wash., Sacramento, Calif., and Chesapeake, Va. 

Adding to the firm’s latest commissions are projects for the University of Maryland and other leading institutions of higher education; for prestigious member-driven organizations including the River Bend Golf & Country Club; for private residences in the Hamptons and beyond; and for innovative new arts- and agriculture-focused master-planned mixed-use communities in the Hudson River Valley and upstate New York.

Cooper Robertson’s new offices will form a base for the firm’s skilled group of professionals as they take on these and other exciting and transformative works. Occupying the 21st floor of 40 Fulton Street, the workplace offers abundant daylight and panoramic views of the East River. With varied work and meeting zones, the space is designed to foster collaboration while prioritizing user wellbeing and enabling flexibility to host events and open houses. The firm’s approach to designing and fitting out the space evolved from a comprehensive employee survey and a series of design charrettes, in which groups of Cooper Robertson team members envisioned a range of different layout and programming opportunities. 

"Cooper Robertson’s reputation and trajectory reflect our longstanding focus on client relationships and a commitment to the highest standards of professional excellence,” said Cooper Robertson partner and management committee leader Mike Aziz, AIA, LEED AP. “This new workplace creates exciting opportunities for further improving the way we operate internally and our ability to support our clients and the communities we serve. As our organization continues to grow, we’re confident that this space will inspire our talented team to do their best work.”