Skyline view of JPMorganChase’s world headquarters in New York City. Photo credit: Max Touhey for JPMorganChase.
JPMorganChase’s massive Midtown East headquarters, the tallest all-electric skyscraper in New York City, is now open. Designed by Norman Foster’s Foster + Partners, the 1,400-foot-tall building at 270 Park Avenue can accommodate 10,000 employees across 2.5 million square feet of workspace. Rising 60 stories, the $3 billion skyscraper features a striking “fan-column” design that rises about 80 feet above street level and provides 2.5 times more outdoor space than its predecessor.
Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
“For more than 225 years, JPMorganChase has been deeply rooted in New York City. The opening of our new global headquarters is not only a significant investment in New York, but also a testament to our commitment to our clients and employees worldwide,” Jamie Dimon, chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, said.
“By creating world-class environments where our employees can thrive, we are strengthening our ability to serve our clients and communities – locally and globally – for generations to come.”
The skyscraper is fully powered by renewable energy from an upstate New York hydroelectric plant. It also incorporates advanced sustainability features, including a water storage system, triple-pane glazing, and smart technologies that predict and adjust to the building’s energy needs, as 6sqft previously reported.
Designed to achieve LEED Platinum V4 certification and WELL Health-Safety Rating, the building’s triple-pane glazing and automatic solar shades enhance energy efficiency while bringing in 30 percent more natural light. 270 Park also features the largest installation of triple glazing in New York State.
In addition, 97 percent of the materials from the tower’s demolition were recycled, reused, or upcycled—far exceeding the LEED benchmark of 75 percent. Advanced water storage and reuse systems further reduce the building’s water consumption by more than 40 percent.
Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
Building entrance viewed from Park Avenue. Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
A view of the lobby looking out to Park Avenue. Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
The lobby, Park Avenue entrance. Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners.
In 2018, Foster + Partners won the competition to design 270 Park Avenue, setting the overall vision for the project and beginning work on its state-of-the-art structural system. The steel frame was built over three years by more than 300 Local 40 ironworkers, along with hundreds of engineers, crane operators, and construction workers.
“This new all electric tower is hydro powered to minimize its carbon footprint,” Foster said. “The unique cantilevered structure, clad in bronze, delivers two and a half times the amount of public space at the base, including a garden, than its predecessor.
“The unparalleled range of venues and leisure activities, coupled with tall spaces with generous natural light and high levels of fresh filtered air – twice that of building codes – combine to set new standards of wellbeing. It is the workplace of the future designed for today.”
The building’s innovative fan-column structure and triangular bracing allow it to touch the ground lightly across the entire block, reflecting the concept that “the structure is the architecture, and the architecture is the structure.” The design extends the viewpoint from the Park Avenue entrance through to Madison Avenue.
The firm oversaw the design of the ground-floor lobby and top floors, including custom furnishings. The use of a split elevator core allows for “permeability of space” at the upper levels and its spacious entry lobby.
Along with Foster + Partners, the interior spaces were designed by Gensler, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), and Studios. Vishaan Chkrabarti of Practice for Architecture and Urbanism served as the project’s overall design advisor.
Lobby, facing Park Avenue. A flagpole column sculpted in bronze serves as a centerpiece. Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
The triple-height “Exchange” hub at the center of the tower has communal space, dining areas, and flexible meeting areas. Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
Staircase within the triple-height Exchange hub. Photo credit: Nigel Young, courtesy of Foster + Partners
Eight expansive trading floors are designed to enhance team integration and improve operational efficiency. At the tower’s core, a triple-height “Exchange” functions as a community hub with 16 venues and flexible spaces for town halls and large gatherings. The upper floors house executive offices and client facilities.
Shuttle elevators carry employees and visitors directly from the lobby to the “Exchange,” which serves as a transfer level to the upper floors. The building’s large floorplates are designed for adaptability and long-term flexibility.
The building also offers a state-of-the-art health and wellness center and a curated art program featuring works by Maya Lin, Leo Villareal, Gerhard Richter, Refik Anadol, and Norman Foster.
Outside, the project enhances the public realm with wider sidewalks and a spacious Madison Avenue plaza featuring landscaped green areas and amenities for residents, workers, and visitors. The ground-floor lobby, which serves as the main entrance, includes a monumental staircase and mezzanine level, along with ramps and lifts for accessibility.
Pantry and communal space within work floors. Photo credit: Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Gensler.
Communal space and staircase inside JPMorganChase Tower. Photo credit: Garrett Rowland, courtesy of Gensler.
The building’s wellness-focused design draws on Harvard research linking fresh air to improved cognitive function, providing an outdoor air ventilation rate of 40 cubic feet per minute per person—twice the standard minimum.
Terraces offer city views and outdoor spaces for employees and guests, while circadian lighting throughout the office floors aligns with natural rhythms to enhance the overall work environment.
The project was the first development under the East Midtown Rezoning, approved by the city in 2017 to spur the creation of 6.5 million square feet of modern office space from East 39th Street to East 57th Street, from Third to Madison Avenues.
As 6sqft previously reported, JPMorgan Chase acquired 680,000 square feet of air rights from Grand Central Terminal and an additional 50,000 square feet from St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church. The proceeds from the air rights have been used to finance public space improvements throughout Midtown.
Construction of the new tower required demolishing the 52-story Union Carbide Building, designed in 1961 by Gordon Bunshaft and Natalie de Blois. When the project was announced in 2018, preservationists objected to its demolition, noting that de Blois was one of the few female senior architects of her time. It became one of the largest structures to ever be intentionally demolished.
RELATED: