STEVEN HOLL HUNTERS POINT LIBRARY

摘要

Located on a prominent site along the East River, against the backdrop of rapidly built skyscraper condominiums, the 22,000 sq.ft. Queens Public Library at Hunters Point stands as a public building and public park, bringing community-devoted space to the Long Island City waterfront. Resisting recent trends of incorporating public libraries and much-needed social space within high- end residential towers, the Hunters Point Library stands independently, rising with a minimal footprint on its 32,000 sq.ft. site to offer maximum surrounding green space to the local community and becoming an integrated part of the vibrant public park that lines the river's edge. The vertical structure reimagines the traditional library model, providing diversity of spaces from intimate reading areas to active gathering spaces. The building's aluminum-painted concrete shell is not just a facade but a load-bearing structure, which omits curtain walls and columns. Sculpted cuts are carved out of the facade, showing the movement of people within and framing expansive views of the Manhattan skyline.