The Clemente: Leadership Offices
Located within The Clemente, a former public school building now serving as a vibrant cultural center on the Lower East Side, this project transforms the principal’s suite into new offices for the organization’s leadership team. Designed in collaboration with Prem Krishnamurthy, founder of the Department of Transformation, the renovation embraces a “fast and light” methodology—an approach responsive to both limited resources and the urgency of an active, evolving institution. The goal was to bring clarity and coherence to a space that had grown ad hoc over time: crowded and lacking distinct zones for focus or collaboration.
Through a series of precise, economical gestures, the design reorders the existing volume into two primary zones—one for collective engagement and one for independent work—anchored by a thickened storage wall and mezzanine that provide storage and a quiet “phone booth.” A modest kitchenette, reorganized circulation, and a welcoming entry sequence establish a rhythm between openness and retreat. The new gallery wall, displaying works by former resident artists, and clear signage together assert a renewed identity for The Clemente’s leadership space: an environment that is both pragmatic and aspirational, reflecting the organization’s commitment to collaboration, creativity, and community.
