Ivy Liu
by Tony Case
Outdoor workspaces have long been standard at creative and tech firms, from Microsoft’s tricked-out treehouses to Shutterstock’s birds-eye perch atop the Empire State Building. In the thick of the pandemic, fears about working in close quarters had plenty of companies emphasizing their fresh-air digs.
With the pandemic ebbing and the return to the office now underway, companies continue to promote the great outdoors if a glam, WiFi-enabled one as a must-have feature of the post-COVID workplace, one that’s got employees’ feelings around safety, comfort and creative inspiration top of mind.
At its massive new mixed-use development on Manhattan’s westside, the global real estate giant Related Companies has teamed with the coworking firm Industrious on a project called Yard Work at Hudson Yards, a 7-acre outdoor meeting and workspace providing custom accommodations for up to 28 people. Features include swing set-s