Francine Houben is redesigning NYPL’s Schwarzman Building, which will serve as both a model and catalyst for a rejuvenated library system.
The renovated branch will have a dramatic, multi-storey wall of bookshelves – the Long Room; an employment skills centre occupying a full floor as well as an adjacent floor providing job-search help and small-business support; a full-floor dedicated to a library for children and a separate library for teens; hundreds more seats than the current branch; and the only free public roof terrace in Midtown.
The Schwarzman Building will undergo work to dramatically increase public space throughout the building by transforming and reopening rooms that were originally designed as public areas but have long been used for staff or storage. This work will begin after the renovation of the Mid-Manhattan Library is underway, and will include expanded spaces for exhibitions and public programs as well as increased facilities for researchers and scholars.
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New York Public Library Midtown Campus, Mecanoo