Current Work: Revisiting Branch Libraries is a lecture series featuring leading figures in the worlds of architecture, urbanism, design, and art.

This spring, the Architectural League of New York is focusing on the imperative for a more accessible built environment, from different perspectives and through different typologies. The overarching concern is to look beyond the often inconsistently executed design ramifications of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) to address how the fields that are charged with planning, design, construction, and management can more fully address an inclusive, well-designed approach to disability justice.

Ten years after the League’s Re-Envisioning Branch Libraries study, three firms revisit these essential community centres to present current and recent projects. Geographic and civic hubs in their communities, branch libraries are charged with granting public access not only to media, but to critical social services and resources. As libraries continue to adapt their function and form, how can architects employ a holistic approach to accessibility across both programmatic and physical design?

The event will include presentations from the principals of three firms who participated in the 2014 Branch Libraries study and have continued their leading work within the typology: Andrew Berman Architect, LEVENBETTS, and Marble Fairbanks.

Panelists:

• Andrew Berman: founded Andrew Berman Architect in 1995, and has since led the award-winning practice through a body of work that includes cultural and performing arts projects, public commissions, and private residences. Berman received a MArch from the Yale School of Architecture and a bachelor of arts from Yale College.
• Stella Betts: a partner and principal at LEVENBETTS, an award-winning New York City-based architecture practice focused on design at a range of scales. LEVENBETTS is currently working on its fifth New York City public library. Betts is a senior critic at the Yale School of Architecture. She received an MArch from Harvard University GSD and a bachelor of arts in fine art from Connecticut College.
• Karen Fairbanks: a founding partner of Marble Fairbanks, where she has extensive experience with current library design. She is the Claire Tow Professor of Professional Practice, chair of the architecture department, and faculty director of the Design Center at Barnard College. Fairbanks received her MArch from Columbia University and bachelor of science in architecture from the University of Michigan.
• David Leven: a partner and principal at LEVENBETTS. He is an associate professor at The School of Constructed Environments at Parsons School of Design. Leven received an MArch from the Yale School of Architecture and a bachelor of arts in fine art from Colgate University.