Built at the turn of the 20th century, 530 Broadway is a unique property comprised of what was originally three adjacent buildings on SoHo’s most coveted corner at Broadway and Spring. The 198,000-square-foot building is an icon of SoHo’s Cast Iron district and features classic ornamental architectural details. Purchased in March 2020, 530 Broadway is an adaptive reuse project that merges the artistic spirit of the neighborhood with contemporary design and bespoke art, creating the idea of Art/Work. 

Snarkitecture was commissioned to redefine aesthetic and cultural standards for office space in SoHo by infusing the lobby with unexpected and memorable moments. The lobby design preserves and maintains the building’s existing ornamental details that have been painted white to create a gallery-like environment that both celebrates the building’s rich history and serves as a monochromatic backdrop for Snarkitecture’ signature floating objects. Every object in the 530 Broadway lobby is conceived as a work of art. Custom oil-quenched blackened steel objects – a wedged sphere, an eroded desk and a threshold – appear to float in space or lift off the ground plane. These objects are meant to feel uncanny – doing things they wouldn’t normally do. 

A complex contradiction of ornament and fundamental pragmatism is integrated within the artistic expression of these purposeful and whimsical objects. Similarly, The Curtain (2021), a site-specific art installation by acclaimed New York-based contemporary artist Daniel Arsham seems to ripple away from the wall. “The general idea was thinking about causing the surface of the wall to do things it shouldn’t be doing,” writes Arsham. Custom black topography wallpaper in the stairwell and white wallpaper in the elevators are also signature Snarkitecture interventions. 

L’Observatoire International brings its celebrated lighting design to the lobby, enhancing Snarkitecture’s lobby concept and the existing ornamental details. As an extension of the in-situ collaboration, Snarkitecture is currently an artist-in-residence in the building. This residency reinforces a layered commitment to the building and experiential immersion.