New York City sues Steven Holl Architects over inaccessible Hunters Point Library design

2023-05-19T19:04:00-04:00

New York City is suing the architects behind the Hunters Point Library for tens of millions of dollars over portions of the structure not being accessible to people with handicaps, in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act. [...] The city’s lawsuit was filed May 17 in state Supreme Court in Manhattan. The defendants are Steven Holl Architect, PC, aka Steven Holl Architects, and the individuals Steven Holl and Christopher McVoy.

The original lawsuit was brought to Federal court in November 2019 by a local disability advocate named Tanya Jackson. The project debuted just two months prior and drew the immediate ire of critics who were quick to point out the flaws in its $41.5 million non-universal design. Steven Holl Architects senior partner McVoy has defended the project as "incredibly successful" since that time and now faces a total of $10 million in potential damages alongside Holl. Another $20 million could be assessed against the firm depending on the lawsuit’s outcome.

Previously on Archinect: Class action lawsuit filed in Hunters Point Library accessibility dispute

According to the complaint: "As designed and built, the Library failed in multiple ways to comply with the design requirements set forth in the requirements contract and Task Order 1. The areas of noncompliance included several primary design elements of the building, as well as ADA standards for bathroom layout, door clearances, and the li...

Two new films showcase Steven Holl's addition to the Glasgow School of Art

2014-07-23T19:11:00-04:00

Working simultaneously from the inside out - engaging the functional needs and psychological desires of the program - and the outside in - making connections to the city campus and relating to the Mackintosh building opposite - the design embodies the school's aspirations in the city's fabric.

Just one month before a disastrous fire broke out at the Glasgow School of Art's historic Mackintosh Library, a brand new addition to the campus opened up across the street. Designed by Steven Holl Architects, the new Reid Building is a modernist complement to the Mackintosh, riffing on similar themes a century apart.

In collaboration with Steven Holl Architects, filmmakers Spirit of Space produced two pieces to celebrate the Reid building's opening in April. The first film (see below) features interviews with Steven Holl and Chris McVoy (one of the partners in charge of the project), explaining the structure's symbiotic relationship to the Mackintosh, and its attention to multi-disciplinary socialization. The second film is in Spirit of Space's signature archi-documentarian style, capturing the building at all times of the day, rich with humming activity inside, while carefully capturing pivotal design details.

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New York City sues Steven Holl Architects over inaccessible Hunters Point Library design

Two new films showcase Steven Holl's addition to the Glasgow School of Art