GLO and Present Forms create "Swiss Army knife" community centre in Hudson

The Spark of Hudson by GLO and Present Forms

New York-based studios GLO and Present Forms transformed a former tobacco warehouse in Hudson into a community education and arts centre.

The former industrial building in Upstate New York city, which had been converted to offices in the 1980s, was purchased in 2020 by a philanthropic couple wishing to create a hub for their new organisation.

Cafe area with eclectic furniture, plywood walls and glass partitions — A cafe area greets visitors upon arrival to The Spark of Hudson community centre

Architecture firm GLO and design studio Present Forms collaborated to transform the structure into The Spark of Hudson, which now hosts a wide variety of event programming for local people.

The team overhauled the 10,000-square-foot (930-square-metre) structure at 502 Union, and added 1,000 extra square feet (93 square metres) on the roof to create a welcoming centre for all users.

Event space set up for a presentation, featuring plywood walls and concrete flooring — A space called the Learning Lab hosts talks, presentations and events

"The result was a gut renovation of the interior and envelope that celebrated the building's roots while introducing more light and air, and a new rooftop structure wrapped by a terrace and garden," said GLO founder Joanie Tom.

The bones of the building were solid, so the designers exposed the steel framing, concrete floors and ductwork throughout the interiors.

A spacious living area in a loft-style space — The second floor is configured like an open-plan apartment, featuring a spacious living area

However, the facades were less inviting, resulting in several new windows being punched through the brickwork and the enlargement of existing openings.

Two of the revised portals are framed by in-stepped courses created using the leftover bricks from the minor demolition.

A large stone fireplace within a dark-toned reading nook — A large stone fireplace anchors a dark-toned reading nook

"Making this introverted building more extroverted involved a dramatic re-structuring of its facades and thoughtful subdivision of its interior spaces," said Tom.

"It was clear from the start that new perforations to the envelope were necessary – not just to bring in light and air, but to draw the neighborhood into the life of the building."

A light-filled, multipurpose space — The addition on the top floor houses a light-filled, multipurpose space

On the ground floor, classrooms and a Learning Lab for lectures, group presentations and events spill out to a cafe area populated with eclectic furniture.

Plywood walls and large expanses of glass help these connected spaces to feel bright, open and inclusive.

The second floor features residential-style living spaces that include a cosy, dark-toned reading nook beside a fireplace, and a living and dining area.

The rooftop extension, known as the Solarium, offers a large open room filled with light from glass doors that fold open to a wrap-around terrace.

A narrow mezzanine accessed by a spiral staircase provides additional seating beneath a row of clerestory windows and the exposed wood ceiling.

"Our hope is that the Spark can serve as a Swiss-Army-knife building for the community – a building with enough inherent flexibility that it can become whatever the neighborhood needs it to be," Tom said.

Simple metal-clad structure surrounded by a planted terrace — The extension opens to a wrap-around roof terrace

Hudson has seen a creative influx over the past decade, further spurred by the pandemic exodus from New York City.

Spots including The Maker hotel, Gestalt furniture store and Workstead's studio are all indicators of the growing design scene in the historic riverfront city.

Exterior of a two-storey brick building with square windows — More windows were added to the brick facades of the former tobacco warehouse, located in Hudson, New York

Present Forms founder Stephanie Lin has previously designed Taffy, a large-scale installation for the 2025 Coachella music festival, and Organic, a 2022 exhibition hosted at Frank Lloyd Wright's School of Architecture in Arizona.

Both projects were longlisted for Dezeen Awards in their respective years.

The photography is by Joanie Tom.

Project credits:

Clients: Albert Wenger and Gigi (Susan) Danziger
Architectural design team: GLO (Joanie Tom), project lead and architect of record; Present Forms (Stephanie Lin), designer
Lighting design: Monica Torres Viera and Francisco Casablanca
Landscape architect: A\Z Landscape Architecture (Andrew Zientek)
Structural/MEP/civil engineering: Taconic Engineering
Contractor: Lagonia Construction

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