Upper Riccarton Community and School Library Douglass-Truth Branch of The Seattle Public Library Hercules Public Library Minneapolis Central Library New York Public Library ' Mulberry Street Branch Nishimachi International School, Yashiro Media Center San Mateo Public Library Shunde Library Whitby Public Library & Civic Square Idea Store Whitechapel
Rogers Marvel Architects
During the 1970s, artists transformed light industrial buildings in New York City’s SoHo district into studios and residences. Young professionals and families followed. It’s an archetypal story that’s since been repeated in cities nationwide. Eventually, SoHo residents wanted the same amenities found in other neighborhoods, including their own library. The New York Public Library (NYPL) secured a space and, in a nod to nearby Little Italy, which would share the facility, named it the Mulberry Street Branch.
The scarcity of land in Manhattan often leaves just two directions for growth: up or down. NYPL was obliged to follow the latter course at the former Hawley & Hoops candy factory, constructed in 1886, with a cast-iron column structure and brick walls. It leased a portion of the ground floor and two subterranean levels, then asked Rogers & Marvel Architects to design reading rooms and stacks for children, teens, and adults, as well as a community room and a large area for public computers.
Marta Sanders, project architect, says the design team wanted to reserve as much of the library’s “precious” ground floor as possible for public use. Rather than locate the main entry on Mulberry Street, which would have meant sacrificing window frontage along this east elevation for the circulation desk and staff work areas, they moved it to the north elevation on Jersey Street. This allowed a window-lined reading room, ringed with cushioned benches and containing low shelves for adult paperback fiction and DVDs. The architects removed two wood joists in the center of the ground floor—reusing one to serve as a counter for the card catalog station—and inserted a stair that connects all three levels of the library. Overhead, a band of sheet aluminum painted green serves as a navigation aid and also conceals HVAC conduits, keeping the other ceilings clutter-free.
Elevator pits, a disused boiler room, and mechanical lines divided the subgrade levels into a warren of smaller spaces. The designers moved some of these elements but primarily used the unusually shaped volumes to their advantage. On lower-level one, which features the shortest ceiling heights, they located children’s and toddler’s reading rooms. At the building’s northeast corner, they cut “window” openings and installed lighting to reveal views of a passage that runs underneath the sidewalk. On lower-level two, the architects located the teen reading room in a narrow volume that stretches westward, away from the central stair and the bulk of the library. North of the stair, they located the community room and the public computers. The main adult reading room and stacks occupy the cavernous boiler room, which features a 23-foot ceiling. Working on a tight budget, Rogers & Marvel retained as many of the space’s original details as possible. On the ground floor, they exposed cast-iron columns and wood ceiling joists, while on lower levels they preserved existing masonry walls. For the stair, they chose perforated-aluminum panels and mahogany railings. The floors are a mixture of wood and polished concrete.
PeopleOwner: The New York Public Library
Architect: Roger Marvel Architects 145 Hudson Street, Third Floor New York, NY 10013 P: 212-9441-6718 F: 212-941-7573 Principal: Rob Rogers, RA Jonathan Marvel, RA Project manager: Matthew Peckham Project architect: Marta Sanders, RA Project architect: Thaddeus Briner, RA Senior architectural designer: Mike Pilarski
Engineer: Structural: Robert Silman Associates Joe Tortorella, PE, Principal 88 University Place New York, NY 10003-4545 P: (212) 620-7970 Geotechnical engineer: Langan Engineering and Environmental Services 90 West Street, Suite 1510 New York, NY 10006 T: 212-479-5409 F: 212-479-5444 mailto: bladd@langan.com M/e/p, fire alarm security: FMC Associates Edwared McCune PE. Princiapl 261 West 35th Street New York, NY 10001
Consultant (s): Lighting: Bill Armstrong mailto: warmstrong@waldinc.com Acoustical/Vibration Control: Robert A. Hansen Associates Robert Lee, PE, Principal 124 East 40th Street New York, NY 10016 P: 212 687-2672 Other: Building transportation systems: Van Deusen & Associates Ahmet Tanyeri, President 5 Regent Street, Suite 524 Livingston, NJ 07039-1617 P: 973-994-9220 Cost estimator: Atkins HF & G Jason Quinn, Senior Cost Manager 11 East 26th Street, 18th floor New York, NY 10010 P: 212 252-7070 Specifications: Construction Specifications Inc. Aaron Pine CCS, Principal 22 Tennent Road, P.O. Box 488 Morganville, NJ 07751 P: 732-970-0700 Code: Design 2147 Sergio Ghiano, Principal 52 Diamond Street Brooklyn, NY P: 718-383-9340 Security: Certified Alarm Tech Systems 3232 Decatur Avenue Bronx, New York 10467 BMS Systems: Automatrix Richard Eiden & Associates P: 973-345-4905 cell: 201-259-5971 mailto: reiden@reacorp.com Concrete: Reg Hough 845-876-1048 Library consultant: Jay K. Lucker 53 Buckman Drive Lexington, MA 02421-6019 P: 781-862-4558
General contractor: Omni Contracting Company, Inc. 3 Alan B. Shepard Place Yonkers, NY 10705 P: 014-375-5555 F: 914-375-5500 Haleem Zihenni (President) Mechanical contractor: Pen Enterprises, Inc. 521 Coney Island Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11218 P: 718-282-4000 F: 718-940-8920 Phillip Ettedgui (President) Plumbing contractor: Ace Contracting, Inc. 1990 Coney Island Avenue Brooklyn, NY 11223 P: 718-998-8437 F: 718-627-3585 Emmanuel Tiperakis (President) Interphase Electrical Contractor Corp. 16 Garfield Place Brooklyn, NY 11215 P: 718-499-4121 F: 718-965-3934 Edward Lucey (President)
Photographer (s): David Sundber/Esto P: 914-698-4060 mailto: esto@esto.com
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ProductsRoofing Tile/shingles: Lead-coated copper on canopy
Doors Metal doors: Aluminum storefront
Interior finishes Acoustical ceilings: Tectum Suspension grid: Armstrong Cabinetwork and custom woodwork: Custom mahogany millwork Paints and stains: Benjamin Moore; Oikos Pallas Floor and wall tile: Existing wood boards and slate tile on ground level floor; pigmented concrete topping slab in sub-cellar level; Dal-tile in restrooms Carpet: Interface in children's reading room
Furnishings Information desks: Broadart Tables: Vecta in staff lounge; Peter Danko in children's reading room; Haba in toddle's reading area; Haba/Gressco Ltd. for children's story hour table; Vecta/Wilkhan in teen room; Herman Miller in community room Chairs: Herman Miller in adult reading room and in staff work areas; Peter Danko in children's reading room; Haba and August Incorporated in Steelcase/Turnstone in staff lounge Upholstery: Michael Tavano upholstered bench cushions on ground floor; Nesco cushions in story hour area Atlas stand: Broadart
Lighting Downlights: Linear Lighting Corp; Edison Price Lighting; Columbia Lighting
Conveyance Elevators/Escalators: Schindler
Special equipment that made a significant contribution to this project: Ceiling ribbons; made of sheet aluminum laminated; thick plywood substrate |
