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Bethpage Public Library
Bethpage, N.Y.
Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners
AIA LLP
A monumental roof serves as a beacon
of hope for the community
© Eduard Hueber |
For more photos click on 'photos
& drawings' above.
To see the people and products
behind this project click on 'people & products.'
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In the 1980s the Bethpage Public Library
undertook to expand its inadequate existing building. By the
time the design commenced in earnest the community was beset
by another challenge. Grumman Aerospace, a company long associated
with Bethpage, had announced its intention to close its historic
plant. By virtue of this timing, the new library became the
catalyst for a movement to prevent the loss of community identity
that residents feared might ensue.
The project addresses these two aspects
of the program by doubling the size of the original building
and by presenting a legible monumentality. Sloping roof planes
and vertical fins recall the silhouettes of aircraft. The
broad sweep of these forms merges with the sky as an evocation
of the powerful horizon line that characterizes the indigenous
landscape. The shape of its roof is derived from solar angle
calculations that guarantee its daily performance as a shading
device. The community has expressed appreciation of these
features.
The building’s structure consists
of a simple but cleverly designed steel frame with brick cladding.
The interior of the existing building was reorganized to include
staff areas, children’s library, and media room. The
addition contains a gallery space, auditorium for 240 people,
stacks for the adult book collection, and light-filled reading
areas for seniors and young adults. A new enclosed garden
allows the reading areas to extend beyond the interior of
the building while also providing an outdoor reception area
for the auditorium.
Formal name
of Project:
Bethpage Public Library
Location:
Bethpage, N.Y.
Gross square
footage:
27,000 sq ft
Total construction
cost:
$2.8 million
Owner:
Bethpage Union Free School District
Architect:
Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners AIA LLP
22 Buckram Road
Locust Valley, NY 11560
516 676 2880 tel
516 676 2141 fax
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