Library Buildings around the World

isolation from the center, it seemed to imply that reading belongs at the periphery of education—she placed it on the first floor,
where it is visible from the street and makes clear the school's commitment to books and learning.
One of the challenges the architects faced was combining public and private areas in limited space. Some designs use bookcases,
often on wheels, to define zones. Multifunctional furniture such as “flip-flop” desks and stools also help, along with curtains that can
be drawn or opened as needed, and areas that can morph into proscenium seating, a stage, or work area.
Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects completed one library in the first round and three more in the second. Partner Billie Tsien,
AIA, said they learned that a great cabinetmaker is not only your friend but potentially the primary builder of the library, since
he/she can produce the space-defining bookcases that can “make a room feel good.”
Beirut unified the projects with an identity built around the word l!brary, with an exclamation point in place of the i. Throughout
the interiors, this iconic branding crops up in a variety of materials and forms—in signage, carpets, flooring, and the glazing of
doors. Since the kids typically can only reach 5 to 6 feet up to the top shelf, most architects kept the shelves low but took advantage
of generous ceiling heights by putting murals on the walls above the shelving.
So far, the libraries have been big hits—not just with the design community, but more important, with the administrators, teachers,
principals, and children who use them. Principal Robert Flores of P.S. 106 in Brooklyn says, “You can't fathom what this library has
done for this community and the 650 students served by the school.” When the program began, few of the teachers believed they
would see much outcome from the initiative; they had long become accustomed to unfulfilled promises and cuts in school funding.
Yet after the completion of the third cycle, there will be more than 55 new libraries built with 595 more to go, to fulfill the Robin
Hood Foundation's goal of completing a school library for each of the 650 public schools in New York City.
The projects have won eight AIA awards for excellence in design, and this year, Tanner received a special citation by the New York
City AIA for the work, along with Christo and Jean-Claude for their Gates in Central Park—the only recipients of this award in
2005. The good will, strong design, and civil virtue of these projects are hard to quantify.
And now the initiative is having an impact beyond New York. Baltimore launched a similar program in its public schools in 2001.
The first library, Southeast Middle School, should open this fall. Designed by Alexander Design Studio, it won a Baltimore Chapter
AIA award as an unbuilt project. With funding from grants raised by Baltimore's Board of Education, the city is preparing to
expand the program. “We enlisted the help of 12 architects to do 12 more libraries for the schools,” says Alexander. While Robin
Hood's library initiative is 100 percent in New York City, the idea of public/private partnerships to effect change in student
performance and schools nationwide is both its promise and example. This remarkable project has drawn people together in creative
and meaningful ways, bringing attention to communities that sorely need it.
While the Robin Hood Foundation makes libraries happen, Common Ground creates housing and community development projects
for New York's homeless and underprivileged. Read about its most recent undertaking—restoration of the Prince George Ballroom,
a unique public/private endeavor here.
(http://archrecord.construction.com/people/profiles/archives/0509RobinHoodFoundation-1asp)
In 2004, 1100 partnered with the Robin Hood Fondation on their libray initiative, to provide under seved New York City public
schools with quality libraries. The first project 1100 designed for 16 PS, serves as a template for our five additional public school
libraries. Te curvilinear ´bookworm concept´, established for PS16, was further refined to make the system truly modular and
interchangeable to adapt to the range of layouts and conditions of each of the 5 schools. In each school, the design uses customdesigned
bookcases as the visual focal point of the space, to divide the library into separate and versatile areas. The bookshelf is
permeable, promoting discovery and imagination. (1100)
New York Public Library, Francis Martin Library, Bronx, New York – USA 2008
Awards:
AIA/ALA Award of Excellence
AIA New York Chapter Design Merit Award
Interior Design Merit Award
A dynamic urban library should expand and evolve with the community, operating as container and distributor. For young people it
acts as a point of departure where the world beyond can be revealed.