Our interpretation of a new age library is inspired by a treehouse or bird’s nest. Our design is sited in the south east corner of the Sheep’s Meadow, straddling an existing hill and flanked by a tall cluster of trees.
Our structure to responds to both the shape and porosity of the tree canopy making a space for occupants to feel part of the environment.
It is very important for the visitor experience to be uninterrupted by architecture and have provided an open and inviting circulation into the pavilion. While the pavilion will need some type of security and lockable area, the main design intent is to present visitors with minimal barriers to the usable reading and gathering areas.
The building is designed as two cores. Each core composed of enclosed book stacks facing the reading areas and pedestrian circulation and a secondary layer of space which would include utilities, restrooms, meeting rooms and library support spaces. The book stacks are meant to be in full view of the park and to people visiting the pavilion. The books are controlled by a series of vertical conveyors which are activated by digital kiosks around the circulation path. The movement of books creates an interesting backdrop to the space and will create the interest needed to attract visitors.
The openness of the architecture allows for large variety of reading space typologies for every type of personality. The intent is also to utilize open space for digital media to share content and data.

Designed by: Richard Rinehart and Victoria Eckhardt