Design Republic partnered with AON to reimagine their New York flagship office at 1 Liberty Plaza, marking a bold shift in how the global professional services firm approaches space, culture, and collaboration. Relocating from a 320,000-square-foot office at 199 Water Street to a more efficient 240,000-square-foot workplace, AON embraced this transition as an opportunity to rethink traditional workplace norms and drive meaningful change across their organization.

To support this cultural and spatial transformation, Design Republic led an intensive workplace strategy process, engaging senior leadership, a steering committee, and an employee council to ensure broad representation and buy-in. One of the project’s most impactful design decisions involved eliminating perimeter offices entirely—reducing over 300 private offices to just 70 and locating them inboard to preserve natural light for shared workspaces. This shift enabled the development of a “neighborhood” concept, fostering connectivity, transparency, and team-based interaction. At the heart of the office, a hospitality-driven client and employee lounge—with a fireplace, barista bar, and tech-enabled meeting suites—provides a welcoming and multifunctional space that reflects AON’s forward-looking identity.