M Moser Associates - HSBC’s Zero Carbon HQ Recipient of the Architizer A+Awards People’s Choice for Sustainable Commercial Building - New York - United States

2025-07-16

HSBC’s North American headquarters, designed by M Moser Associates, has won the Architizer A+ Awards People’s Choice Award in the Sustainable Commercial Building category. Located in The Spiral at Hudson Yards, the 260,000 sq ft headquarters is now recognized as one of the most sustainable and technologically advanced workplaces in New York City.

The project was selected for its exemplary integration of environmental, human, and digital systems, transforming workplace design to meet today’s evolving needs and tomorrow’s challenges.

A new benchmark in workplace transformation

M Moser Associates partnered with HSBC to deliver a high-performance environment that consolidates the bank’s operations across five buildings into one unified, future-ready headquarters. With ambitious goals to achieve Zero Carbon, WELL Platinum, LEED Platinum, GUDC certifications, and more, HSBC set out to redefine what a modern workplace can be, not just for its people, but for the planet.

"This project's sustainability and technology objectives were exceptionally ambitious," says Samantha Allen, Associate Director at M Moser. “Achieving them meant aligning every team and decision around one bold vision. The result is a space that sets a new standard for what’s possible in commercial design."

Integrating purpose, performance, and people

From the outset, the project was driven by HSBC’s global vision for a more inclusive and resilient workplace. M Moser’s integrated team of strategists, architects, engineers, sustainability consultants, and digital specialists co-created a solution that is as purposeful as it is adaptable. The result is a workplace where daily attendance has doubled from 40% to 80%, while energy use has decreased by 27%, alongside improved occupant comfort and lower operational costs.

Celebrating innovation and sustainability

Winning Architizer’s A+Award in Sustainability highlights the project’s alignment with global best practices in ethical design, construction, and operation. The annual award celebrates buildings that demonstrate leadership in sustainable systems, healthy materials, and environmental stewardship. “Our goal was to achieve net zero carbon construction and operations, center on efficiency in all areas of design, and bring HSBC’s people- and planet-centric vision to life within this connected, vertical community,” says Raquel Sachser, Design Director and Co-Head of M Moser’s New York office.

Designing for a better future

By consolidating its offices and investing in an adaptive, inclusive, and connected headquarters, HSBC is reshaping its workplace culture and setting a precedent for the financial services industry. For M Moser, the project illustrates how technology and sustainability, when embedded from the start, can fuel lasting impact. “The integration between our strategy and design teams allowed us to align complex decisions with HSBC’s broader business goals,” says Grant Christofely, Associate Director – Strategy. “Together, we created spaces with purpose, clarity, and long-term value."

M Moser Associates is proud to be recognized by Architizer for its work with HSBC and remains committed to redefining workplace experiences through holistic, sustainable design. As the future of work continues to evolve, projects like HSBC’s headquarters demonstrate how bold vision and multidisciplinary collaboration can deliver spaces that truly make a difference for people, performance, and the planet.

About M Moser Associates

M Moser Associates is a global architecture, design, strategy, engineering, and delivery firm with more than 1,000 professionals networked at our locations around the world. Since 1981, the firm has united design, culture, inclusivity, technology, wellness, and sustainability to expand the potential of the built environment. They help transform organizations large and small by redefining the present and anticipating the future to drive positive change for people, planet, and business.

Today, work happens everywhere, and the purpose of the office and the role it serves is evolving. M Moser Assoxiates believe that now, more than ever, a company’s physical workplace is a critical resource for creation, socialization, and culture building. They work as one integrated team to align the elements of your workplace and create healthy, agile, and resilient spaces where people can connect, collaborate, and do their best work.

Photo credit: Garrett Rowland