The Art History Library at Hunter College aspires to be the social and intellectual hub of the art department. The mission of this privately funded library is to be a communal space where students and faculty who share a common passion can come together to socialize and exchange ideas outside the classroom or art studio.

The design of the library divides activities into three programmatically distinct yet connected zones. The first space adjacent to the entry and information desk is a lounge space for casual interaction between library patrons and perusal of recent acquisitions of the library. The main space of the library is a more traditional library space with custom white oak library tables and computer terminals. The third zone of the library is for colloquia and small seminars.

project academic interior renovation location New York, NY size 3,000sf client CUNY Hunter College scope of services planning, design, construction completion 2009 photography Bjorg Magnea