Marble Fairbanks Architects partnered with MASS Design Group for the design of the New Lots Branch Library, one of the largest libraries in the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) system and a cornerstone of the East New York community. The new building replaces the existing library, which was built on an African burial ground, and is designed to acknowledge and honor the site’s history, creating spaces within and around the library for individual reflection and community dialogue around collective memory, restorative justice, and reconciliation.

These spaces draw inspiration from the palaver, a space of collective gathering in many West African communities, often taking place under a large tree. Under the palaver’s cover, communities come together to engage in dialogue, truth-telling, expressions of solidarity, shared memories, and a commitment to reconciliation and restorative justice following conflict. In the new library, these spaces are found on each level under the branching timber structure and in the sitting and gathering spaces in the adjacent landscaped plaza.

The building façade draws artistic inspiration from the sculpture Lifting the Veil by artist Sanford Biggers, which comments on and critiques the incomplete narratives of American history. The building’s “veil,” rising from the ground, reveals a transparent, welcoming first floor—transforming the hidden history of the site into a place of community engagement and activism at street level. On the upper levels, the veil—composed of two layers of colored aluminum baguettes suspended from the glass enclosure and angled to form a weaving pattern—creates curated views out to the plaza and neighborhood while also filtering natural light.

The new 25,000-square-foot library will expand access to essential educational services, driven by the unique culture of the surrounding neighborhood. In addition to reading rooms for children, young adults, and adults and seniors, program spaces include a lower-level public forum and auditorium defined by a sculptural memorial wall that backs up to the adjacent burial ground, a music room, an African American collections reading room on the ground floor with a connection to the memorial plaza, and a third-floor dedicated adult learning center. Shaped by the voices of East New York, the New Lots Branch Library will be a space for storytelling, shared reflection, and meaningful connection, strengthening the community for generations to come.

Innovation in Mass Timber
The New Lots Branch Library is one of the first public projects to be built with mass timber and was one of seven selected for the inaugural NYC Mass Timber Studio, an initiative by the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to drive decarbonization in the built environment. This program supports early-stage mass timber projects, increasing awareness, identifying opportunities, and advancing the use of this sustainable construction method across NYC. As a model for future public buildings, the New Lots Branch Library demonstrates the potential of mass timber to create high-performance, environmentally responsible spaces while setting a new precedent for sustainable urban development.

The library is anticipated to be completed in 2028.

This project supports the integration of the Brooklyn Public Library’s resources with those of the Center for Brooklyn History, facilitating the transition from a previously private institution to one that is public. Throughout the first phase of this project, we conducted a planning study identifying challenges, opportunities, long-term goals, and short-term strategies that provide a roadmap to advancing the Center for Brooklyn History. Realizing one of the many strategies outlined in the planning study, the second phase of this project includes a renovation of the public library and gallery spaces that transform the center into a welcoming and accessible destination for the local community.

Improving access to the Center for Brooklyn History, the reconfigured entrance is centralized within the sloped entry plaza, while new outdoor seating fosters community gathering, activating the plaza and adjacent street corner. Unrestricted street-level windows create a stronger visual connection between interior activities and those at the street. New exterior signage identifies the once-private building within its surrounding neighborhood. Custom interior signage and new digital display share information about collections, exhibitions, and the broader network of Brooklyn Public Library locations, enhancing the visibility and presence of the center, revealing activities taking place within, and supporting visitor engagement. A new welcome desk and signage improve wayfinding, and a ramp connecting the main entry to the historic interior, provides easier access to upper-floor collections. Interior enhancements, such as new furniture and a retail area, create an inviting space for reading, studying, working, and exploring exhibitions. The vibrant colors of the lounge furniture echo the historic brick façade, visually linking the interior and exterior.

This project not only preserves the historical significance of the Center for Brooklyn History but also enhances its role as a cultural hub, and our long-term plan provides a guide for growth into the future. By improving accessibility, visibility, and its presence within the community, the Center for Brooklyn History evolved into a dynamic public resource that celebrates Brooklyn’s rich history and provides support for its local community.

This project, in partnership with Mario Gooden Studio, provides expanded space for departmental programming and events, including a renovated theater and production spaces, faculty, and community event spaces for Brown University’s Department of Africana Studies.

Visually connected to the street, the addition provides transparency and connectedness to the surrounding campus, celebrating and conveying the important academic and performance-based work transpiring within. The reoriented building entry with a new terrace and ramp is located along the Walk, a vibrant campus green space frequented by students and local community members. Enhancing the visibility of the department on campus, and improving accessibility from the street, this renovation and addition supports Brown University as it works toward goals of diversity and inclusion, sustainability and wellness, and community.

The design highlights the relationship between the Department of Africana Studies and the Rites and Reason Theater. Throughout the building, the department’s shared wall with the theater features a pattern mirroring that on the facade of the addition, forging connections between the building’s interior and exterior, and highlighting the presence of the theater within the Department.

Along the lobby’s southern wall, the entrance to the theater is framed with a custom perforated panel with an intricate fractal pattern. The fractal, a geometric pattern with inlaid shapes that grow and shrink in scale, references patterns used in West African cultural artifacts such as textiles and architecture. This fractal pattern is recalled throughout the department and is used in the supergraphics on select feature walls on each level of the building.

This new single-family residence includes an artist studio and pool and is situated within a south-facing hill in Dutchess County, New York. The house is surrounded by lush, forested hills and woodlands creating the opportunity for distinct moments that blend landscape with human habitation.

At the core of this project is a commitment to stewardship of the natural environment, with materials and building systems chosen thoughtfully to meet rigorous sustainability goals. The home includes photovoltaic panels for energy generation and a geothermal heating and cooling system that utilizes the stable temperature of the earth’s subsurface to exchange heat. Primary interior finishes include locally sourced wood for both structure and finishes; concrete, stone, and wood floors; and metal kitchen cabinets. Tiered stone walls step up the hill from the pool to the home, and exposed, board-formed concrete retaining walls extend from the landscape to the interior, integrating the unique terrain and topography of the site with interior spaces.

Following the development of a strategic plan for Urban Dove to expand across all NYC boroughs, Marble Fairbanks designed a team charter school in Brooklyn as a renovation to an existing building. Unique to Urban Dove schools, each student is part of a team with their own coach who offers extra curriculum support and sports and fitness instruction. A gymnasium, training rooms, and extra fitness spaces complement traditional classroom learning, and access to outdoor fields is an important criterion for building sites. Various scenarios were developed within the strategic plan including for the school to be part of a new development project, to be the sole tenant in an existing building, or to be a tenant within a larger renovation project.

As part of our long-standing relationship with Urban Dove, we’ve worked on other design projects including the development of a graphic identity for the school that can be easily replicated in new spaces as Urban Dove expands. The recent renovation for their Brooklyn-based school included repurposing an auditorium into a gymnasium, incorporating the custom graphic identity which has been strategically applied in their Bronx school. The Urban Dove model has proved to be highly successful, and we continue to advise as they expand their services.