In the heart of Hudson Yards, Manhattan, KPMG has opened a sprawling 450,000-square-foot office at Two Manhattan West, a space designed not just to work, but to inspire.
For a firm balancing client demands and hybrid work schedules, the new headquarters represents more than square footage; it is a statement of intent.
Tim Walsh, KPMG’s CEO and chair since July, sees the new office as a symbol of the firm’s dedication to the city. “We’ve always been committed to New York,” he said to Business Insider.
“This is certainly a strong recommitment on behalf of KPMG in terms of how important this market is for our firm. It’s certainly brand elevating, in my opinion.”
The office aims to encourage the firm’s more than 5,000 New York employees to come in more frequently, while continuing to split their weeks between client sites, the office, and home. Last month, 81% of New York-based employees and partners were in the office roughly two days a week.
Designed by its own employees
The office’s design was not dictated from a boardroom; it was shaped by the very people who would use it. The 12 floors are organised into four blocks of three, each themed after a New York neighbourhood: Upper Manhattan, Midtown, Downtown, and the Financial District.
Murals, perforated steel ceilings, and design nods to early 20th-century New York evoke the firm’s roots as Marwick, Mitchell & Company in 1897. Employees were part of the process at every step.
An ambassador program helped colleagues navigate the move, while newsletters, digital renderings, and a dedicated lab tested different workspaces.
Collaboration meets technology
For Walsh, the office is more than a place to work; it is a physical representation of a new era. “It’s really a new era at KPMG, and this space is a perfect physical representation of that. It’s changing the way our people will work together and collaborate. It’s bringing technology into everything that they do,” he said to Business Insider.
The office offers large meeting rooms, smaller breakout spaces, and interactive maps. Even room names are inspired by New York City landmarks.
Some enclosed offices are placed away from the perimeter to ensure staffers and clients can easily find their way. Attendance is tracked through badge swipes and timesheets, but the heart of the space is collaboration.
What are ignition labs?
A highlight of the new office is “Ignition,” where employees lead clients through design-thinking sessions, which is a human-centred approach to problem-solving.
Caroline Berman, a manager supporting Ignition, described it as a space for transformation, “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,” Berman told Business Insider.
From the Arrival Lounge to immersive areas and modular labs, the experience is designed to leave clients with actionable outcomes, roadmaps, shifts in mindset, and practical strategies.
KPMG has been embedding AI into employees’ workflows for two years. Tools like aIQ Chat give access to large language models, while Digital Gateway helps model real-time scenarios for changing tax regulations.
A spokesperson 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.”
KPMG’s new office isn’t all business. Employees can gather at a coffee bar that transforms into a full bar in the evening or relax in The Manhattan, a networking lounge. “The Living Room” inside Ignition provides a homely space for deal-making with clients.
“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. We provided so many spaces for people to come in and just feel good about being here,” Walsh explained to Business insider.
