The Luminaries Lawn Library celebrates the

possibilities of mass timber construction. Glulam columns and beams, CLT walls and radiant slabs, timber mullions, and treated wood rainscreens form the basis of this library. Wherever possible, these elements are exposed rather than hidden behind layers of cladding in order to showcase timber as a viable alternative in a decarbonizing world.

​

The unique site, a heavily sloped triangle next to a subway stop, presented fascinating challenges and opportunities. I grappled with the overlap between two strong urban edges and a slanted hypotenuse that dropped dramatically along ancient geological forces. I eventually decided to exploit these overlapping constraints by creating a low, modest profile on the high end of the site and a sweeping, grand elevation on the lower end. This strategy maintained the sense of wonderment and curiosity that I myself experienced on the initial site visits.

Curved glulam beams cantilevered off of a shifting column grid allowed for that experience to be read from both the outside and the inside of the library.

​

The final design consists of two levels. The adult level

and primary entry features the sweeping glulam beams, jogging columns, and bookshelves integrated into the column structure as additional lateral reinforcement. Some bookshelves remain free of structure to underscore the tectonic variety. The curved beams are connected by a rim beam which allows the curtain wall to play freely within the space. In each bay, the ceiling rises or dips, columns shift, curtain walls dance, and opacity alters, allowing a wide variety of spatial experiences across the floor.

​

The sunken level for children and teens steps down even deeper into the ground as the floor above it lifts, creating deceptively high ceilings that allow for light to enter and bounce from eastern clerestory windows, western glass block pavers, and a large southern oculus. The top floor lifts as the bottom floor anchors, creating a necessarily separate but cohesive array of spaces in a dignified and decarbonized public good.

​

The culmination of the semester can be seen in

the pages from my comprehensive construction documentation set (done in Revit). Within these pages, developed in conjunction with the expertise of studio faculty and ARUP engineers, I translated my design concept into a viable constructable proposal using innovative mass timber and MEP tectonics. Drawings include a site plan, floor plans, structural framing plans, RCPS, elevations, sections, wall details, MEP, and acoustics.