Summary:
Unilever’s new US headquarters in Hoboken brings together people, brands, and partners in a space shaped for creativity and connection. Designed as a destination for collaboration and client engagement, the 111,000 SF workplace combines architectural clarity with an adaptable technology ecosystem that supports hybrid work, live demonstrations, virtual retail environments, and high impact storytelling. TAD worked alongside the architect from the earliest strategy stages to develop a cohesive, scalable, and intuitive AV platform that transforms the headquarters into a flexible environment for community building and innovation.
The Challenge:
Unilever sought to consolidate multiple front office activities into a single location that offered strong transit access and a renewed sense of community. The company needed its headquarters to serve as both an operational hub and a destination for clients, partners, and employees. This required a more sophisticated AV foundation than what existed across its previous sites.
The primary goal was to templatize conferencing across a wide range of brand teams, each with different workflows and production needs. The experience center needed to support high production demonstrations, immersive client engagements, and virtual planogram reviews, all within a smaller footprint than previous facilities. Unilever also needed a strategy that would reduce operational burden, strengthen brand representation through media, and support hybrid work without adding complexity.
TAD entered the project as a strategic partner tasked with aligning these ambitions with a realistic budget, an aggressive timeline, and a technology team that could not support heavy daily operations.
The Approach:
TAD approached the project by treating technology as an amenity that unlocks creativity for employees, sales teams, and partners. Rather than layering systems onto the space, we worked with Unilever to define objectives grounded in cost effectiveness, scalability, and simplicity. Through our strategy services, we developed a clear understanding of end user personas, workflows, and shared priorities, which allowed us to create a unified AV ecosystem that could serve diverse internal brands while remaining intuitive for all users.
Perkins & Will had established a series of guest journeys across reception areas, meeting rooms, exhibit zones, virtual stores, and collaboration spaces. These journeys relied on moments of meaningful digital engagement that needed to feel choreographed, flexible, and aligned with a temporary exhibit mindset. TAD partnered closely with the architectural team to ensure that the technology supported these movements, enhanced brand storytelling, and maintained a refined visual impact.
The Solution:
TAD designed a comprehensive AV framework centered on AVoIP to give Unilever’s teams the freedom to distribute content across the headquarters with ease. Virtual planogram labs can now share content directly to presentation and demonstration spaces, enabling seamless reviews and collaborative decision making for Unilever’s vast portfolio of brands.
The experience center was equipped with flexible production capabilities that support both in person and hybrid engagements. Meeting rooms were standardized so teams can move between spaces without changing their workflow. Media moments throughout the space reflect Unilever’s brand presence with clarity, supported by reliable infrastructure and intuitive controls.
LED displays from Planar anchor key storytelling zones, creating opportunities for product demonstrations, high impact presentations, and client engagement. Each solution was designed to minimize operational overhead while maximizing value for both internal teams and visiting partners.
The Impact:
Unilever’s Hoboken headquarters is a workplace shaped for modern ways of working, with technology that supports collaboration, creativity, and connection. Employees benefit from a unified conferencing experience, improved ease of use, and a space that encourages adoption rather than intimidation. Operational teams now manage a large fleet of rooms and production environments with a significantly smaller support footprint.
The headquarters has become a vibrant destination for internal brands, partners, and clients, offering a level of flexibility that strengthens Unilever’s ability to showcase innovation across its portfolio. By aligning technology strategy with architectural intent, TAD helped create an experience center and workplace that meet the evolving needs of a global organization, built on a foundation that can grow with Unilever’s ambitions.
