Bronx Library Center

Architects of the new Bronx Library Center in New York City chose to use glass to make the building stand out in a neighborhood of brick apartments and shops. The glazed building sends a welcoming message, says Daniel Heuberger, project designer from Dattner Architects & Partners in Manhattan.

“The main design concern of the library was to make it appear open and accessible,” Heuberger says. “In a neighborhood which is perhaps not as accustomed to using the library, especially one this large, reinforcing this feeling was very important.”

The $50 million, 78,000-square-foot center features floor-to-ceiling glass on the south and east sides, acting as a beacon on the outside for the neighborhood, and maximizing daylight for human comfort on the inside.

“The whole building is planned based on accessibility to light, with the seating in the brightest areas,” Heuberger says.

“Controlling glare, or the contrast between light and dark, was particularly important, especially at the tabletop surface.”
Energy consultant Steven Winter Associates Inc. of Norwalk, Conn., used computer models and performed daylighting studies to determine the most efficient methods to limit glare, Heuberger says. They chose to use passive solar devices, including electronically controlled shades and a light shelf 81⁄2 feet off the floor in the interior.

Designers brought additional natural light into the circulation staircase, enclosed in channel glass from Bendheim Wall Systems of Passaic, N.J.

The building’s glass also acts as an energy-saving measure, and the library is up for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification from the U.S. Green Building Council of Washington, D.C., Heuberger says.

AFGD Glass, the Canadian subsidiary of AFG Glass of Kings-port, Tenn., provided the soft-coat, low-emissivity glass for the project. “This is a very high-performance glass from an energy point of view,” Heuberger says. The glass has a visible light transmittance of less than 50 percent, offering good light penetration while preventing glare, he says.

Germany’s Schüco International KG provided the thermally broken curtain-wall system. Neversink Glass Corp. of White Lake, N.Y., served as the glazing contractor.

F.J. Sciame Construction Co. of New York City was the general contractor. Construction began in March 2004.