SOM unveils NYC's "most advanced trading environment" inside JPMorganChase skyscraper

American architecture studio SOM has revealed the interiors of the trading floors inside the new Foster & Partners-designed JPMorganChase supertall skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan.
The eight trading floors sit just above the vast lobby inside 270 Park Avenue, which officially opened as the headquarters of the American financial company in October 2025.

SOM designed these spaces to be "the largest and most advanced trading environment in New York City", and to facilitate "the pace, precision, and collaboration of finance in the digital era" for 4,000 traders across 500,000 square feet (46,500 square metres).
The interconnected spaces are organised as a series of two-storey suites, each revolving around a double-height atrium that accommodates staircases, a hub cafe and conferencing areas.

"Our goal was to create a trading environment that supports both the focus and collaboration inherent in the work," said SOM interior design principal Ece Calguner Erzan.
"By creating suites with shared amenities and integrating their layout within the structural logic of the tower, we were able to design spaces that are both highly functional and deeply connected to the building's overall identity."

The tower's distinctive bronze diagrid exterior beams are repeated in the atria, while natural materials and live plants are intended to create a welcoming atmosphere in the arrival areas.
Large, open trading floors are laid out to maximise daylight from the glass facades, supplemented by ceilings with integrated circadian lighting deeper into the floor plates.

Above each central cafe are two boardrooms that overlook the trading floors on one side and Park Avenue on the other.
Along 47th and 48th Streets, smaller perimeter cafes provide quiet spots for breaks or casual meetings with views of the city.

More areas for individual focus, small group huddles and larger meetings are incorporated to offer flexibility for employees.
Custom-designed, sit-stand desks developed with UniFor are shaped to open sight lines and to allow daylight across the floor plates.
"Every element — from spatial organisation and material selection to the integration of digital infrastructure — is designed to promote human connection and operational excellence in equal measure," said SOM.
"The result is an environment that is adaptable, connected, and supportive of the people who drive the firm's success, setting a new benchmark for the modern trading floor."

Foster & Partners designed the tower for JPMorganChase to be all-electric
The skyscraper became the sixth-tallest building in New York City upon reaching its full height of 1,388 feet tall (423.1 metres).

It's one of several supertalls in Midtown, joining KPF's One Vanderbilt, SHoP Architects' Steinway Tower, and Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill's Central Park Tower amongst the latest additions to the ever-evolving Manhattan skyline.
SOM, also known as Skidmore Owings & Merrill, has also recently completed the restoration of the iconic Waldorf Astoria hotel and new terracotta-wrapped headquarters for Disney in New York City.
The photography is courtesy of SOM.
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