Snøhetta, the New York City Department of Design and Construction (DDC), and the New York Public Library (NYPL) unveiled designs for a new 12,000-square-foot branch library in the Westchester Square neighborhood of The Bronx, NYC. Inspired by the surrounding greenery, the energy-efficient building will be wrapped in pastoral print fritted glass, defining the new structure as an important economic and educational node within the neighborhood. Construction on the new Library is anticipated to start during mid-to-late 2023.
The project will be located beside the historic Huntington Free Library, a non-circulating library that predates NYPL by four years, the new Westchester Square branch will extend the site’s legacy as a place where knowledge is acquired and shared for generations to come. The two-story structure will feature two classrooms, reading rooms, a multi-use community space, restrooms, and additional public spaces dedicated to research. A comprehensive art program will bring a dynamic assembly by Austin, Texas-based artist Shawn Smith to the Library’s upper floor.
Designed as a prismatic reading room lifted on a board-formed concrete base, the Library's glass facades are inspired by The Bronx's status as the "greenest Borough of New York City." Aside from visually relating to the greenery of The Bronx, the pattern is calibrated to frame the surrounding blocks and to filter sunlight as part of a holistic effort to reduce the Library's energy use. At night, the Library will shine, displaying motifs of verdant tree canopies of The Bronx.
The Viewing Garden provides an understated counterpoint to the surrounding urban landscape. As an extension of the library, the Garden absorbs rainwater into a verdant landscape while also bringing light and visual interest to the indoor experience. Michelle Delk, Snøhetta Partner and Landscape Architecture Discipline Director
Targeting LEED Platinum certification, the new Library will feature a high-performance envelope design and a solar array allowing the building to lessen electric demand on the area's critical energy infrastructure during peak events. Additionally, the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) has contributed funding to position the Library as a pilot project for DCAS's 80x50 initiative, which seeks to reduce the city's carbon emissions by 80% by 2050.
Snøhetta is proud to have worked with DDC on a collection of transformative projects across New York City, from the reconstruction of Times Square to the creation of new branch libraries in Far Rockaway, and now, Westchester Square in the Bronx” […]“Over the last 12 years, our team of architects, landscape architects, and interior architects have worked with DDC to enrich the social vitality of local communities through thoughtful designs that will stand the test of time.” Craig Dykers, Snøhetta Founding Partner.
The new Westchester Square Library is the latest Library designed by Snøhetta in New York City and follows the construction of the new Far Rockaway Writer's Library in Queens, slated to open in 2023. The international practice is also working on expanding the Museum of Sex, now with a second location in Miami. Scheduled to open in spring 2023, the 3000-square-meter converted warehouse will feature extensive exhibition galleries and a bar to preserve and celebrate the cultural significance of human sexuality.
