Play all audios:
JOINING THE FAMOUS ‘PEPSI-COLA’ AND ‘LONG ISLAND’ SIGNS AGAINST A BACKDROP OF RAPIDLY CONSTRUCTED SKYSCRAPER CONDOMINIUMS, STEVEN HOLL ARCHITECTS HAS COMPLETED A NEW LIBRARY BUILDING THAT
BRINGS COMMUNITY-DEVOTED SPACE TO THE NEW YORK WATERFRONT. located in queens’ hunters point neighborhood, the independent structure occupies a minimal footprint on its 32,000 square foot
site to offer views of the park on which it sits, as well as across the east river towards manhattan. image © paul warchol (also main image) STEVEN HOLL’S DESIGN SEEKS TO RE-IMAGINE THE
TRADITIONAL LIBRARY MODEL WITH A WIDE RANGE OF SPACES — FROM INTIMATE READING AREAS TO ACTIVE GATHERING ZONES. _‘the building’s aluminum-painted concrete shell is not just a façade but a
load-bearing structure, which omits curtain walls and columns,’_ explains the design team. _‘sculpted cuts are carved out of the façade, showing the movement of people within and framing
expansive views of the manhattan skyline.’_ image © paul warchol AN AUDITORIUM AT GROUND LEVEL PROVIDES A SETTING FOR PUBLIC MEETINGS AND EVENTS. above, the stairs switch back from mezzanine
to mezzanine, connecting reading areas and concluding in a rooftop reading terrace with views of the river and the city beyond. _‘while the plan is compact, the building section of the new
library is open and flowing to allow for the most energy-efficient design and the greatest amount of public green space on the site,’_ the architects continue. image courtesy of steven holl
architects ALTHOUGH THE PROGRAMMATIC DIVISIONS ARE FLUID, THE SEPARATION OF THE CHILDREN’S, TEEN, AND ADULT AREAS CAN BE READ IN THE SCULPTED CUTS OF THE BUILDING’S EAST ELEVATION. bamboo
has been used throughout the interior to ensure an inviting social space, while natural light enters through large windows. _‘the digital and the book are merged through the bookshelves and
adjacent digital workstations that flow upward along a series of open stairs,’_ says steven holl architects. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project HERE. image © paul warchol
image courtesy of steven holl architects image © paul warchol image courtesy of steven holl architects image © paul warchol image © paul warchol image © paul warchol 1/12 PROJECT INFO: NAME:
hunters point library LOCATION: queens, NY, united states DATES: 2010 – 2019 CLIENT: queens public library, new york city department of design and construction ARCHITECT: STEVEN HOLL
ARCHITECTS — steven holl (design architect, principal), chris mcvoy (senior partner in charge), olaf schmidt (senior associate in charge), filipe taboada (project architect, associate), suk
lee (project architect CA), bell ying yi cai, rychiee espinosa, jongseo lee, maki matsubayashi, michael rusch, dominik sigg, yasmin vobis, jeanne wellinger (project team) LANDSCAPE
ARCHITECT: MICHAEL VAN VALKENBURGH AND ASSOCIATES STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: silman MEP ENGINEER: ICOR associates LIGHTING DESIGN: l’observatoire international LEED CONSULTANT: ADS engineers CIVIL
ENGINEER: langan engineering & environmental services FIRE TECHNICAL CONSULTANT: rolf jensen & assoc. COST ESTIMATOR: davis langdon SPECIFICATIONS: construction specifications inc.
CLIMATE ENGINEERS: transsolar philip stevens I designboom sep 25, 2019