The Central Branch of the Brooklyn Public Library System is a landmarked 1941 building located at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. Since 2009 Toshiko Mori Architect has served as planner and architect for the Central Branch, coordinating a series of key capital projects. These include a strategic re-design of the materials handling system, a contemporary co-working and technology center called the Info Commons, and a new youth services center designed around the growing needs of the borough’s teenage community.
To study the complexity of its needs, Toshiko Mori Architect developed a unique methodology that integrated library administrators, staff, and users into the master planning process. Initial workshops, site visits, and interviews were distilled into system-level visualizations. These mappings were used to illustrate challenges and opportunities within existing architectural configurations, logistics protocols, and services. Working collaboratively with the branch team this process was translated into a network of actionable projects.
The Central Branch master plan is designed to holistically enhance all scales of library operations while strengthening its unique identity and mission in Brooklyn. The streamlining of day-to-day materials flows thus allowed the Central Branch to focus more on its core mission: delivering new services and enhancing long-term connections to its diverse user communities. By designing the master planning process alongside branch stakeholders Toshiko Mori Architect was able to approach the challenge of the contemporary library systemically while celebrating the history of a critical piece of New York City’s cultural infrastructure.
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