Modellus Novus

What Modellus Novus does

Modellus Novus (operating as MN) is a New York City-based architecture firm founded in 2014 by Jonathan Garnett, Steven Harper, and Preeti Sriratana, later joined by Operating Partner Anya Gribanova. The firm provides comprehensive architectural and interior design services across six typologies—hospitality, retail, commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential—delivered through a partner-led, enterprise-focused engagement model in which clients are positioned as "co-conspirators" in the design process. Headquartered at the Woolworth Building in lower Manhattan, the firm employs more than twenty full-time staff drawn from eleven countries and four continents, with reported near-zero turnover since launch.

The firm's core offerings are professional design services billed on a project-by-project basis, spanning adaptive reuse of landmarked properties, new-build hospitality venues, mixed-use developments, corporate headquarters, and institutional facilities. Named clients include James Kent's restaurant group (SAGA, Crown Shy, Overstory, Time and Tide), Cote Korean Steakhouse (New York, Miami, Singapore), the Whitney Museum, Harvard Business School, the Kitano Hotel (The Prince Hotels), Hakluyt, Brooklyn Nets parent BSE Global, Milk Makeup, and Baltic Development. The firm's restaurant clients have collectively garnered nine Michelin stars, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard adaptive reuse project received a 2020 AIANY Design Award.

The firm's go-to-market is reputation-driven enterprise field sales, with no outbound sales motion; new business originates from earned media coverage in publications such as Forbes, Architectural Digest, Wallpaper*, Azure, and The New Yorker, plus referrals from existing clients and speaking engagements at industry events including HOK Design Matters, NAIOP, ICFF, and AIA. Modellus Novus has no external institutional investment, operates as a private partnership, and generates revenue exclusively through professional design fees on a project basis with no publicly disclosed pricing or recurring revenue streams.

Name

Modellus Novus

Legal name

Modellus Novus

Website

https://mndpc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Modellus Novus is a New York City-based architecture firm founded in 2014 providing comprehensive architectural and interior design services across hospitality, retail, commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential typologies for high-end enterprise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Architecture and Design Services: Full-service architecture firm providing design services across hospitality, retail, commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential typologies. Revenue generated through professional design fees for project-based work.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Modellus Novus is a New York City-based architecture firm providing full-service architectural and interior design across hospitality, retail, commercial, industrial, institutional, and residential typologies. Services span from project intake, strategy, and concept through construction administration, delivered through a partner-led co-conspirator model with clients in their respective industries. The firm has a recognized specialty in adaptive reuse of historic landmarked properties and high-end hospitality design.

Product overview

Modellus Novus is a New York City-based architecture firm offering comprehensive architectural and interior design services across multiple typologies. The firm operates as a single integrated practice rather than a platform with modular products. Their portfolio spans hospitality (restaurants, hotels, bars), retail, workplace/corporate, residential, mixed-use, industrial, and institutional projects. Notable project series include the Cote restaurant group (Korean steakhouse concept with locations in NYC, Miami, and Singapore), fine dining venues SAGA and Overstory on 70 Pine Street, Hakubai at the Kitano Hotel, Nami Nori Japanese restaurants, and various hospitality projects for celebrity chefs including Kwame Onwuachi (Tatiana, Dōgon) and James Kent (Crown Shy, Mel's, Al Coro, Discolo). The firm also designs commercial workplaces, residential developments, and adaptive reuse projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hospitality Architecture Services Full architectural and interior design services for restaurants, hotels, cocktail bars, and hospitality venues, including Michelin-starred fine dining establishments and boutique hotels. The firm serves chefs, restaurateurs, and hospitality groups seeking distinctive hospitality environments.
• Retail Design Services Architectural design of retail flagship stores and shopping environments for brands including Hypebeast, Milk Makeup, and fashion retailers.
• Workplace Design Services Corporate office design and headquarters projects for companies including Brooklyn Nets (BSE Global executive offices), The Independents HQ, and Hakluyt North American HQ.
• Residential Architecture Services Architectural design of residential projects including luxury townhouses, multi-family housing developments, and private residences.
• Mixed-Use Development Design Architectural design of mixed-use buildings combining residential, commercial, and community spaces, including the Baltic Development 81,305 SF mixed-use building in Brooklyn and the Kings project.
• Industrial Architecture Services Architectural design of industrial facilities including adaptive reuse of historic buildings, manufacturing headquarters, and warehouse spaces, such as the AIANY Design Award-winning Navy Yard Headquarters adaptive reuse project.
• Institutional Design Services Architectural design for institutional clients including museums, schools, and public facilities. Named engagements include the Whitney Museum ground floor restaurant and plaza redesign (alongside Renzo Piano Building Workshop) and the Harvard Business School Spangler Center redesign.

Quantifiable outcome

• AIANY Design Award for Navy Yard Headquarters adaptive reuse project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• VerdantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLandscape architecture partner for the Navy Yard Headquarters project, designing the innovative living forest landscape feature that helped earn the project an AIANY Design Award.
• VerdantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerContinued partnership on Hakluyt North American HQ project with Mac Carbonell for design excellence.
• FOOD New YorkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental design studio partnered for Brooklyn Nets executive offices and Milk Makeup projects.
• Compass GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Harvard Business School Spangler Center redesign.
• Renzo Piano Building WorkshopcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on Whitney Museum redesign working alongside Renzo Piano's vision for transparent public space.
• Rashid JohnsoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned artist for Whitney Museum restaurant mixed-media installation featuring gridded metal structure.
• Dyani White-Hawk-PolkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned artist for Whitney Museum hospitality environments.
• The Prince HotelscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with founding family and The Prince Hotels for historic Kitano Hotel reopening.
• Seven Creative Agencies (Prodject, K2, Karla Otto, Bureau Betak, Inca, Lefty, Kitten)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Independents HQ unifying seven creative agencies under one roof for the first time, located at 52 Mercer Street in SoHo.
• Climax BooksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for rotating magazine and book display curation in The Independents HQ.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Rockwell Group: Founded by David Rockwell, this NYC-based architecture and design firm is the most iconic hospitality/restaurant design practice in NYC, with a portfolio spanning Nobu, TAO, and major hotels. Directly comparable to MN in cuisine-led hospitality design and high-profile chef relationships.
• Roman and Williams: Award-winning NYC architecture and design studio known for hotels and restaurants (Ace Hotel, Le Coucou, The Standard Grill). Directly comparable to MN in hospitality-led interiors and partner-led creative direction.
• AvroKO: New York hospitality-focused architecture and brand design firm known for restaurants, hotels, and bars. Shares MN's exact niche of bar/restaurant design for celebrated chefs and operators and operates at a similar boutique scale.
• Yabu Pushelberg: Globally recognized interior design and architecture firm headquartered in NYC and Toronto, with major hospitality and luxury retail work (Equinox, Four Seasons, Lane Crawford). Directly comparable to MN in high-end hospitality interiors and global brand-driven projects.
• Studio Munge: Toronto-based interior design firm specializing in high-end restaurants, hotels, and residences globally. Comparable to MN in hospitality interiors for celebrity chefs and luxury operators, including Michelin-starred restaurant work.
• Pembrooke & Ives: NYC interior design firm specializing in luxury hotels, residences, and private aviation. Directly comparable to MN in elite hospitality interiors, NYC base, and engagement with celebrity and luxury clientele.
• Peterson Rich Office: NYC architecture and interiors studio with a similar size and typology breadth to MN, covering residential, cultural, and commercial work. Directly comparable as a boutique NYC design practice with award-winning cultural projects.
• Meyer Davis Studio: NYC-based interior design and architecture studio celebrated for hotels, restaurants, and residences (1 Hotel, Edition, Le Coucou). Comparable to MN in hospitality interiors, mix of typologies, and high-end NYC positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Snøhetta: Internationally recognized architecture and design practice with major cultural and hospitality projects globally. Comparable as a multi-disciplinary firm with deep interior design capacity and award-winning cultural commissions, though much larger scale.
• Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Established NYC architecture firm known for High Line, The Shed, and Whitney Museum expansions. Comparable as a top-tier NYC practice engaged by major cultural and institutional clients, though with much larger scale and broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/modellusnovus
• Instagraminstagram.com/modellus_novus

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Modellus Novus