MESH conceived the design of the Media Center with a spirit of optimism. Optimism about both the creative potential of new media and the growth of the media arts in our city. The 20,000sf Center was funded by New York City and is run by IFP (the Independent Filmmaker Project). This new center will expand IFP’s offerings and allow them to provide support for content production across the new entertainment and technology sectors. Multiple levels allow for interesting connections between public and private spaces. The center supports interaction and cross pollination among user groups. The range of spaces reflect the new way we work today, in village-like community-oriented spaces. The surfaces of these spaces are activated with a variety of video, printing, chalkboard, and even old media – books – to inspire our creative energy. The large communal tables provide basic work space, but a range of supporting spaces enable working in different ways — quiet or social, sitting or standing. None of the meeting rooms have typical rectangular tables — some have MESH-designed egg-shaped tables for presentations and others more casual soft seating. The library provides a quiet area to think or read. The cafe is a social center as well as a place to eat. Three classrooms help to support turning filmmakers into multimedia artists. The centerpiece is a high-tech screening room, which appears as an island in the main space. Its rounded outer walls are contiguously mapped with video projection that continuously shows creative work.