CONDE NAST CAFETERIA
New York, NY

The CondŽ Nast Cafeteria is located on the fourth floor of the new CondŽ Nast Publishing Headquarters designed by Fox & Fowle Architects at Four Times Square in New York City. The 260 seat cafeteria, intended to provide employees with a convenient lunch time dining and meeting facility, includes a main dining area, a servery, and four private dining rooms. The main dining area is organized to provide a variety of seating arrangements in an atmosphere that is both intimate and open. Custom designed booths that accommodate 4-6 people each are distributed along the perimeter walls. The perimeter walls, which are clad in perforated blue titanium panels that include an acoustic backing to insure acoustic absorption, undulate in response to the geometry and overall configuration of the booths. Additional booths are located on a raised seating platform which is enclosed within curved glass panels in the center of the main dining area. Free standing tables and chairs which will be designed by Frank O. Gehry & Associates will be distributed throughout the main dining area.The floor of the main dining area is an ash-veneer plywood, and the ceiling is clad in perforated blue titanium panels that match the perimeter walls. The servery, which is adjacent to the main dining area, is a fully equipped facility that provides a selection of different hot and cold entrees. The servery's curvilinear angel hair finish stainless steel counter tops, blue titanium walls and canopies, and ash veneer floor and ceiling compliment the sculptural and aesthetic character of the main dining area. The four private dining rooms are located on the same level as the main dining area and the servery, but they are distinct and separate spaces to be used for special lunch meetings and presentations. The walls, floors and ceilings of the private dining rooms are ash-veneer plywood. Curved glass panels articulate the East wall of each room, providing an even natural light illumination through clerestory windows. The private dining rooms are equipped with state of the art audio/visual capabilities. Three of the four private dining rooms have movable partitions, allowing the three rooms to be transformed into a variety of spatial configurations for special occasions.