The Municipal Art Society (MAS) is a non-profit organization that champions smart urban design and preservation in New York City. They are in constant dialogue with the public sphere and their headquarters spatialize this transparent relationship.

Rather than a curtain wall, which only produces an impression of transparency to pedestrians, the new office is wrapped in public programs on all levels. New Yorkers perusing the library or lounge can get close to the windows and peek into MAS. Furthermore, as the office volume responds to the site and the party walls, its massing jostles to produce a fragmented form. This articulation of the office volume introduces heterogeneity, while sloped roofs bring a touch of domesticity into the work environment. The sloped surfaces double as circulatory paths that weave the public experience into a promenade.