It’s cold out there for reporters–especially those who work at Gizmodo‘s New York office. The walls of the former Gawker news site, which is now owned by Univision, are allegedly so poorly insulated that employees wear multiple layers and huddle close to space heaters, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation.
The Union Square office’s architecture is supposedly the crux of the issue, say multiple people I spoke with. The office is apparently built with little, if no, insulation–which gives it a clean visual aesthetic of brick and metal beams. The Nick Denton-led Gawker executive team that originally designed the office wanted a “raw” aesthetic for the space. (This stoic, exposed look is something Gawker‘s leadership team historically chose for its various offices.) One source directly familiar with the build-out tells me that, for this space, Gawker made the decision to not add insulation to the bare metal and cement walls that came with the building.
But while exposed building material may be easy on the eyes, it has led to an abnormally chilly environment and thus multiple staff complaints.