Brooklyn's Bushwick neighborhood has undergone a dramatic transformation from an industrial manufacturing area to a trendy mixed-use district, attracting artists and creative professionals with its proximity to subway lines, relatively affordable real estate, and authentic industrial aesthetic. At the center of this evolution is developer Happier, which has partnered with Bench Architecture to create a series of studio buildings that are redefining the area's architectural landscape.
The latest project, 53 Scott, represents Bench Architecture's first ground-up building in New York City for developer Happier. This five-story structure joins a growing collection of developments in the area, including 154 Scott and 99 Scott, all located within walking distance of the Jefferson L subway station. These buildings are known simply by their addresses rather than branded names, reflecting the neighborhood's straightforward industrial character.
The success of 154 Scott, which opened last year, set the stage for this new development. That building received widespread acclaim partly due to its high-profile tenant SAA, a new members-only club catering to the creative class that occupies a luxurious rooftop space above the vintage industrial warehouse. The remainder of the building houses art studios that rented almost immediately, many through referrals from Bench Architecture founder David Bench.
53 Scott rises above most of its neighbors while maintaining visual harmony with the surrounding industrial lofts. The building's stepped profile tapers as it rises, creating a heavy, substantial presence that emphasizes volume and permanence. Each wall is thick, and windows are cut with generous setbacks to reinforce this image of solidity. Bench explained that the structure was designed to potentially support an additional 40-plus stories if zoning laws in the area change in the future.
"In a hundred years or more, when nature takes over, this building will still be here," Bench told reporters, invoking the popular architectural narrative about concrete's durability, though acknowledging its high environmental cost. The building's location on the Newton Creek floodplain necessitated the installation of more than 300 timber pilings and eliminated the possibility of a basement.
Bench and his team approached the design with what he describes as "an obsessively reductionist mindset," though this minimalist approach achieves a distinctly luxurious feeling. Polished concrete floors meet 17-foot-high ceilings throughout the studios. Windows are positioned a few feet above ground level and centered in each wall to create rhythm and order for both the interior studios and the exterior facade. This practical design choice also prevents stored items from showing through the glazed walls and reduces the risk of accidental damage to the window panes.
These thoughtful details reflect Bench's artistic background and experience as a maker. He takes particular pride in the concrete-block hallways, which are punctured only by high-grade welded doors leading to each studio. The blocks were specifically chosen to avoid the multi-step process of creating sheetrock walls, which Bench considers flimsy and cluttered in execution. "For these halls, we hired a skilled mason to simply stack each unit. Then it was finished," he explained. "Maybe it cost more up front, but the quality and integrity of the material is on full display."
The building's two upper floors already house event spaces, despite the fact that construction has not yet reached 100 percent completion. Mobile bars and five-foot speakers are positioned in front of floor-length curtains that invite visitors onto the terrace, creating a dynamic social environment that extends the building's appeal beyond simple studio rental.
"The key to the success of these projects is ensuring there's constant action," said Tyler Schadt, a real estate lead at Happier. "It's a cultural third space that a certain echelon of creatives desires. How many artists do you know that have brand-new studios?" With pricing starting at $3 per square foot, artists can rent a corner space for approximately $1,200 per month, making professional studio space accessible to a broader range of creative professionals.
This relative affordability stems from Happier's strategic vision, which began in 2011 when the company's founders, two brothers, began acquiring cheap land with good public transit access. This combination continues to be what Schadt calls "the secret sauce for development in NYC," though Happier has taken significant risks to realize its ambitious vision in Bushwick.
The industrial context remains very much alive in the neighborhood. Directly across the street from 154 Scott sits an active open-air recycling plant, a situation that might seem noisy and distracting to some. However, one of Bench's young designers noted that people actually compete for street-facing desks to watch the industrial activity throughout the day, finding it a welcome break from screen-based work. This embrace of the authentic industrial environment represents a shift in how a new generation of creative workers relates to their surroundings.
"We're still in 1961 when we talk about zoning," Bench observed, his frustration evident. However, his design for these projects looks well beyond the limitations of 1960s planning regulations. Visitors descend through the building's core via stairs that are at least triple the width of typical emergency egress landings. Like the structural pilings designed to support potential future floors, these oversized stairs were designed to accommodate the egress requirements of a much larger building, embodying Bench's philosophy of designing for the future he envisions - one where rooftop pools can coexist with the remnants of our consumer economy.
