Ilana Steenkamp URBAN DESIGN + PLANNING + ARCHITECTURE
New York Public Library
of Music + Performance Manhattan
New York Public Library
of Music + Performance,
Manhattan
In the midst of the hustle of Manhattan, this project proposes a specialized library for music and performance. Housed on a small corner site, the library provides instrument rentals, individual and group practice spaces/ audio rooms, along with shared practice and performance space, granting people access to facilities and allowing for the breakdown of cultural and class barriers through people's shared experiences of music.
The architectural aim of the project was to create an expressive architecture that simultaneously inspires and is highly sensitive to the historic context. The goal was to create spaces that make people want to play like no one is listening.
I accepted the challenge of exploring working in timber with a CLT and Glulam structure, as regulations in New York are in the process of being amended to allow for these less carbon-intensive methods of construction.
The comprehensive studio required the production of a set of Construction Documents which detail important structural elements and the facade system.
