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The Module Library

Location: Sara D. Roosevelt Park, Bowery

Instructor: Emmett Zeifman

Columbia GSAPP Spring 2019

Modern day library is not merely a place for knowledge sharing, but also a space for cultural exhibition and social connection. The module library tries to establish connection between the two dominant local communities: artists and immigrants.

The various orientations of stacking hybrid blocks create diverse spatiality for different programs that serves the two communities while connecting the park, the gentrified museum area and the not-yet gentrified side of the park. The rustic quality of the opaque part of the hybrid block mimics cave to provide a more unique private library experience while reflecting the appearance of the existing neighborhood where the domestic life of immigrants takes place. The smooth curtain wall facades showcases the interior, welcoming people in like the galleries in the area. The transparent-opaque contrast of the hybrid module demonstrates the coexistence of public and private programs.

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Along the two sides of Sara D. Roosevelt Park are majorly two types of buildings: exhibition spaces and domestic service spaces. While both play a vital role in the cultural and educational life of local residents, their appearance and representation of social class differ.

On the left side of Chrystie are mostly museums, art-themed boutique hotels and galleries, fancy, shiny, transparent. They gradually turn the area into a new artistic district, attracting thousands of visitors from allover the world.


On the right side of Forsyth are educational institutions and residential buildings. The majority of the buildings are covered with a brownstone facade, heavy and opaque, trying to keep the privacy of the activities happening inside.


The library, situated between the two typologies, bridges the vernacular and the new. The diverse spaces it provides serve the need of a quiet library and education center, as well as a spacious event venue open to all. 

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Ground Floor Plan

Ground Floor Plan

Level 2 Plan

Level 2 Plan

Level 3 Plan

Level 3 Plan

Level 4 Plan

Level 4 Plan

Level 5 Plan

Level 5 Plan

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Structural Detail

Structural Detail

Interior Perspective of Community Reading Space

Interior Perspective of Community Reading Space

Interior Perspective of Digital Info Display Room

Interior Perspective of Digital Info Display Room

Interior Perspective of Library Reading Room

Interior Perspective of Library Reading Room

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Expandable Public Space