See inside KPMG's giant new NYC headquarters, which was designed based on employee input

By Lakshmi Varanasi

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I visited the office on a rainy morning in October.

Soon after I arrived, I met Vanessa Scaglione, KPMG's head of real estate services — one of hundreds involved in designing the new office — who took me on a tour of the space.

The 12 floors of the office are divided into four blocks of three, each themed after a different New York neighborhood — Upper Manhattan, Midtown, Downtown, and the Financial District. Throughout the office, decorative touches — from neighborhood murals to the perforated steel ceiling in the lobby, designed to evoke Park Avenue radiator covers — pay homage to an earlier era of New York, when the firm was first established as Marwick, Mitchell & Company in 1897.

The office, which officially opened on November 5, was more than five years in the making. It was designed in partnership with design firm HOK, along with several other vendors. KPMG did not disclose financial details about the total cost of the new office.

What surprised me most was how much the office design was shaped by employee feedback, which also guided the choice of location — one that keeps commuting times steady or shorter for two-thirds of the firm's staff.

A firm representative told Business Insider that the design was informed by feedback gathered from employees after they moved into earlier offices. These suggestions were used to identify what was working well and where adjustments might be needed.

In addition, they also had an ambassador program which drew employees from across departments to guide colleagues through the transition, the KPMG spokesperson said. The firm also distributed a newsletter, digital renditions, and built a lab, where they piloted various types of workspaces and technology to obtain feedback from staffers on what worked best.

For Walsh, the office is also the start of a new chapter for the firm — one where employees, clients, and technology work together more seamlessly.

"It's really a new era at KPMG, and this space is a perfect physical representation of that," he said. "It's changing the way our people will work together and collaborate. It's bringing technology into everything that they do."

The new office is replete with rooms for major meetings and board discussions, and smaller breakout rooms for employees to collaborate with each other and clients.

Navigation has been simplified by using room names that match New York City landmarks. Interactive maps appear throughout the building. There are a few enclosed offices that are intentionally located away from the perimeter of the floor so that staffers and clients can easily find their way, the spokesperson said.

The firm tracks attendance through badge swipes and time sheets.

One of the hallmarks of the new office is a space called "Ignition," where staffers lead clients through customized sessions in design thinking, which the firm says is a more human-centered approach to problem-solving.

Projects that the firm has worked on through Ignition include helping large banks develop a system for employees to navigate international assignments, assisting large retailers with corporate storytelling, and helping clients through mergers and acquisition decisions.

"These are our existing, ongoing clients. They're experiencing new disruption in their industry. They really don't know what's next, and they might come to us to explore that next level," Caroline Berman, a manager at KPMG supporting Ignition, told me at the office the day I visited.

Clients spend anywhere from a minimum of 90 minutes to multiple days in KPMG's Ignition experiences, she said.

When a client has a change in leadership, or new board members join an organization, they may turn to KPMG for guidance on "effective teaming," she said.

Participants begin in the Arrival Lounge at Ignition, then branch into different paths based on session size. They enter the immersive space, a dynamic area used to introduce or emphasize key moments in the sessions. From there, they move into the lab, which is equipped with modular furniture that's rearranged throughout the day for workshops and exercises, she said.

"We want them to leave here with tangible outcomes, like a 30-60-90 roadmap," or even "actual shifts in mindset and behavior," Berman said.

Spaces for deep work and collaboration are an important part of the firm's effort to upskill its workforce on AI.

The firm has developed several internal AI tools like aIQ Chat, which gives employees secure access to large language models like ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and its Digital Gateway, an AI-powered platform the firm says helps it model and scenario plan in real time for changing legislation and regulations for its tax clients.

KPMG has also been running an internal AI transformation program to train employees on AI for the past two years, a spokesperson for the firm told Business Insider.

"In the US, we know virtually every KPMG employee is using AI —and not just occasionally. 90% of our people are actively engaging with our advanced AI tools, and our data shows that those who use them more frequently are seeing the greatest benefits, including higher quality output, reduced stress, and more time to focus on strategic work," the firm's spokesperson said.

Walsh said the firm is committed to providing employees access to AI tools, but did not explicitly say how it'll change the way the firm evaluates performance.

"It's a high-performing culture," he said. "So I wouldn't say we're asking more from our employees, but what we are saying to everyone at KPMG is you need to adopt and use the tools that are being provided because it's critical to your success in the future."

The office isn't just a place for work.

KPMG's new office features areas where employees can gather and socialize. Near the first-floor entrance, there's a coffee bar that transforms into a full bar in the evening. Scaglione said it captures the atmosphere of classic New York City bars — for her, it's reminiscent of the famous Old Town Tavern, which opened in 1854.

There's an employee lounge, known as The Manhattan, where employees can network. Within Ignition, there's a more residential-looking room, known as "The Living Room," where employees finalize deals with clients.

The intention is to create an environment where employees feel comfortable, Walsh said.

"I think our employees are going to come and expect to be in tight quarters. That's the furthest thing from what we did here," he said. "We provided so many spaces for people to come in and just feel good about being here."