all work and some play

location              Chinatown, Boston 
advisor               Ian Miley 


A proposal for the  on the changing role of the public library. The contrast of transparency, material, and form are a result of, and a facilitator of the dichotomy between its traditional and contemporary uses. From the outside, a contrast is established between the monolithic nature of the three cores and the sleek, openness of the plinth which is raised to allow cross-site circulation. Where forms intersect is also where programs intersect. At moments where the plinth slices through the cores, is where collections are kept. Where towers extend past the plinth is private, individual spaces, and where the plinth exists by itself is places for public congregation. Spatially, the main level is organized by a truss-imposed grid. Within cores and even on the exterior, both furniture and space are organized on the "grain" of the grid.. The open and exposed indoor plaza fosters a sense of unity between users of the private and public conditions of the library as one must enter it in order to navigate to other regions.