Architect Adjaye Associates has completed the remodeling of the interiors of the 1199SEIU Health Care Union building in New York. This is the largest health-care union in the US, and was referred to by Dr. Martin Luther King Junior as ‘the authentic conscience of the labor movement’.The original SEIU building contains a mural by Anton Refreigier, which is replicated in the entry lobby and is the inspiration for continuous ceramic tiled walls that unite all the member-facing spaces across four floors.

Complementing this strongly graphic spaces are the simple but elegant door handles designed by David Adjaye himself. Made of satin brass they contrast with the matt-black doors. The setting of the lever handles unusually low on the backplates creates an unusual and pleasing impression.

Photography by Christina Buscarino