&img=https://www.aiany.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/2026-AIANY-Design-Awards_Disney-New-York-City-Headquarters_1_2500.jpg){kind=small}
After decades of operating in workplaces across New York City, the Walt Disney Company sought a unified headquarters to bring its various business lines together under one roof for the first time. Spanning a full city block, the 1.2 million-square-foot building embraces its historic urban setting with a sinuous profile of cerulean green terracotta panels, while expressing a contemporary aesthetic. It rises in a series of setbacks that culminate in two 320-foot-tall towers, linked together by the “Great Room”—a lofty communal space that anchors the vertical campus. The elegance of the architecture masks the multitude of creative, culture-defining work happening inside. Three large studios provide space for live and audience programming, in addition to collaborative workspaces, a newsroom, and studios for national and local broadcasts. Certified LEED Platinum, the project is among the first all-electric commercial buildings transforming New York City, employing a series of sustainability strategies from a high-performance facade to efficient mechanical systems.
