Steven Holl Architects has been selected to design the new library at the Queens West Development at Hunters Point. This new library will provide state of the art library services to the community, as well as offer a space for community programming.
The new Queens Library is sited with spectacular views over the East River and major landmarks, such as the UN Building and the Roosevelt Memorial by Louis I. Kahn under construction on Roosevelt Island. It will function as a connector between waterfront activities and the city beyond. With residential buildings, three acres of new park land and public schools as neighbors, the library will serve as a new "urban forum" and an invaluable resource for the community. The new Library will shape public space and create new connections across the Queens West Development, Hunter Points South, and the existing neighborhood of Hunters Point.
Tom Galante, Chief Executive Officer for the Queens Library, said, "Queens Library at Hunters Point will be a great resource for the whole community. We are looking forward to working with Steven Holl Architects to see a truly special library built on this site."
In addition to the stacks, the new library will house reading areas, a gallery, public assembly multi-purpose meeting room for community programming including after-school study, readings, and various locally based events, and associated library staff and support areas. The project scope also includes the design of a separate structure to accommodate the users and staff of the adjacent Gantry Plaza State Park, to be located on the same site.
"This library will be a beacon for the Queens Library system and a cultural center for this growing and dynamic neighborhood" said David J. Burney, Commissioner of the Department of Design and Construction, which is managing the project. "Steven Holl Architects deliver dramatic architecture and innovative responses to complex client programs, and has proven to be adept at creating iconic buildings that respond to their site, culture, and history. This will be Steven Holl’s first public New York City commission, and we are looking forward to working with him on this exciting project."
Steven Holl states, "We are very pleased with this great commission for an addition to the growing community. We envision a building hovering and porous, open to the public park. A luminous form of opportunity for knowledge, standing on its own reflection in the east river."
Bustler
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