Constructed with sustainable and local materials, the new global headquarters in Brooklyn of e-commece vendor Etsy was built with work-life balance in mind.

A cable-wire staircase made of wood from the building’s original rooftop water tower takes people to the second-floor reception area. Etsy and the design team enlisted local artisans to design more than 750 office articles, including 600 handmade desks. Living greenery—referred to by Etsy as the “green embrace”—is mingled among the workstations on several floors. The company says it reflects the idea of bringing the outside in, of nature encompassing the building.

The sixth floor of the nine-story building features amenities such as wet and dry labs, recording studios and public gathering space, while the top floor includes a mother’s room, yoga studio and garden library.

Amanda Carroll, principal at Gensler New York, the project’s lead design firm, terms Etsy “an organization with a remarkably clear and bold vision and the courage and conviction to achieve it.”  She says the space is a physical representation of the company’s values. 

The building is the first in New York City to become Living Building Challenge Petal-Certified, which requires all materials to be vetted to avoid harmful or toxic chemicals. The team examined more than 1,500 materials in order to meet that standard.

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