Bronx Library Center
New York City
Dattner Architects

A branch grows nearly as big as the Bronx

© Jeff Goldberg/ESTO

For more photos click on 'photos & drawings' above. To see the people and products behind this project click on 'people & products.'

Although technically a branch, the New York Public Library?s new Bronx Library Center serves as the central library for the Bronx. The reason is simple. If this borough were a separate city, its population of more than 1.3 million people would make it the seventh largest in the United States. It?s no surprise, therefore, that the Bronx Library Center is larger than most branches. Indeed, the main difference is that while it contains many of the same services as a regular branch, it provides more space for them: 78,000 square feet, in fact, housing more than 300,000 volumes, including an extensive collection of Latino and Puerto Rican materials, as well as 127 public access computers.

As large as the library is, Dattner Architects dematerialize it both internally and externally. The building?s front elevation, for instance, is entirely glazed with transparent glass. Recalling the concept of many early Carnegie libraries, this glazing allows passersby to see the patrons and books inside?but it also allows one to see out, helping root this building in its community. The library?s top floors, in particular, feature sweeping views of the Bronx and Manhattan skylines. The windows also flood the building with daylight, reducing the need for artificial lighting and cutting the library?s operating costs.

The main reading room and reference collection occupy the library?s upper floors. Here, the roof makes a dramatic curve upwards, like the open spine of a book, creating additional space for mezzanine levels. The building?s lower stories contain staff offices, conference rooms, a 150-seat auditorium, and computer rooms grouped around a large public gallery suitable for hosting public receptions and gatherings. Throughout, efficiently organized circulation spaces and an open plan help to maintain sight lines through the floor plates, a key consideration that allows staff to monitor the library more easily.

Thanks to the extensive use of recycled and locally manufactured materials, as well as efficient HVAC systems and reduced overhead lighting, the Bronx Library Center is eligible for LEED certification: so far the only one of the New York Public Library?s 85 branches to qualify for the honor. Other notable elements in the project included a public sculpture, by I?go Manglano-Ovalle, that lines the wall of a staircase into the teen reading room. Titled ?Portrait of Young Reader,? this multicolored glass and steel installation depicts the DNA of a teenager.

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Formal name of project:
Bronx Library Center

Location:
New York City

Gross square footage:
78,000 sq. ft.

Client:
The New York Public Library

Architect:
Dattner Architects
130 West 57th Street
New York, NY 10019
212-247-2660 tel.
212-245-7132 fax
http://www.dattner.com