Located at 52 Mercer Street in the heart of SoHo, The Independents HQ unites seven creative agencies—Prodject, K2, Karla Otto, Bureau Betak, Inca, Lefty and Kitten—under one roof for the first time. Inspired by a bygone era of artists moving into SoHo’s dilapidated spaces and working with what’s there, the design honors their legacy of minimalism, favoring reuse over replacement and refining what exists to heighten its impact. As a foil to the neighborhood’s polished and commercialized evolution, function and utility come into dialogue through illumination and geometry: a coconut fiber mat carpet lies in contrast to velvet upholstered timeless furnishings that rest on it. Whitewashed joists, exposed brick and sculptural tin ceilings offer texture and history, while aluminum framing, one-way mirrored glass and clean-lined millwork deliver a contemporary counterpoint.

As the material palette expands subtly to reflect the individuality of each agency, Modellus Novus was also tasked with bringing clarity, character and cohesion to communal spaces. The design pursues a quiet but transformative gesture: a polycarbonate and galvanized metal “light beam” that cuts through the floorplate, introducing transparency, orientation and shared experience to the core of the building. At each end, operable doors align with existing windows, creating a 200-foot-long axis that draws light across the entire plan and connects once-disparate spaces with a single continuous line of sight. The gesture reclaims overlooked space—rendering it both luminous and legible—and becomes the organizing spine around which private studios, flexible work zones and common areas unfold.

Photos by Adrian Gaut