The project is a one-story branch library for the local community and is situated on a 16,000 SF plot in the Mariner’s Harbor neighborhood of Staten Island.

The design concept is of a cracked open shell, rougher on the outside and smooth and mother of pearl like inside.
The main environmental objectives are daylight and views, energy efficiency and preserving the existing mature trees in the back garden.

“Since the 1930s, residents of this former oystering community have been harborin...