The Brooklyn Public Library’s (BPL) East Flatbush Branch reopened in June after significant renovations led by LEVENBETTS, a New York City–based architectural practice that designed the building with input from librarians and community members. While a primary design goal of the project was the library’s reading rooms, LEVENBETTS also improved the library’s street facing facade with corrugated aluminum panels and pleated folds. The new facade system allows for greater transparency from the interior and exterior of the building.
Residents wanted distinct designated spaces within the library for children, teens, and adults as well as curated collections of books and other media for each age demographic. Spaces geared toward community gathering were also requested.
The implementation of a new street-facing facade allows more natural light to enter the space.
The main facade was engineered to provide an adequate balance of daylight and shade. In addition to balancing light infiltration, the corrugated aluminum panels allow for greater transparency from the interior and exterior of the building.
The pleated aluminum panels are perforated to allow light to enter through the front facade.
The design team considered several options for the facade design but were limited by the constraints of the site. The foundations of the existing building were laid close to the property line, leaving little depth for the facade.
A lenticular super graphic was placed along the street-facing facade of the library. (Courtesy LEVENBETTS)
After finishing the metal panels in a gray base layer, a baked-on finish was added to create a lenticular graphic reading “East Flatbush,” to create the illusion of depth as one walks along the street-facing facade. Portions of the text were omitted at the entrance to the building.
The project was completed in collaboration with NYC’s Department of Design and Construction (DDC) and was executed within the guidelines of the department’s Design Excellence Program, which seeks to improve the design-quality of the city’s public building stock. The DDC acted as the project’s construction manager.
LEVENBETTS carried out a renovation of Brooklyn’s East Flatbush Library.
