Brooklyn Public Library Master Plan
Brooklyn, NY, USA
Ongoing

The Brooklyn Public Library Central Library is located at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn, New York, and opened in 1941. Toshiko Mori Architect is the architect for three separate projects; The Information Commons, Materials Handling, and Youth Services. The first of which functions as the library’s technology center, as well as provides a seminar space and meeting rooms. This library is the central hub for materials processing for the entire BPL circuit. The Materials Handling facility will help organize this workflow. The Youth Services renovation project strives to provide amenities for the teenage community. 

The new Information Commons, totaling approximately 6,000 sq ft, functions as the library’s technology center. It provides computer stations and wireless access to the public, while a new seminar room and meeting rooms allows for a variety of educational programs. The Information Commons was envisioned as a space that is inviting and conducive to research and study - a space that is capable of elevating the user through its architecture and bringing Brooklyn’s public library system into the twenty-first century.

While the Information Commons represents a new and innovative arm of the Library, the design and concept of the space remain closely attuned to the historic building in which it resides. The design stays true to the art deco heritage of the building, using softly curved woodwork to form a ‘cocoon’ while wood paneling proportions take cues from existing woodwork.  Further connecting the new space to the library’s origins, the Information Commons is fitted almost exclusively with furniture designed by Alvar Aalto in the 1940’s. Long communal tables are conducive to both collaborative and individual study and are reminiscent of the stateliness of historic libraries.  The Commons is a balance of clean, modern efficiency and historic, contextualized elements.

Credits:

Design Team: Toshiko Mori, Landon Brown, Avis Lai, Andreas Tjeldflaat, Bella Stone, Sama El Saket, Julia Kim
Structural: Rodney D. Gibble Consulting Engineers
MEP: Plus Group Consulting Engineering
Lighting: Tillett Lighting Design
AV / IT / Security: The Clarient Group
LEED Consultant: WSP

Photographs © Michael Moran