Private school reopens renovated library on its Bronx, N.Y., campus

The Ethical Cultural Fieldston School has reopened the newly renovated Tate Library on its campus in the Bronx section of New York City.

The private preK-12 independent school says the library, on the school’s Riverdale campus, has been updated to better meet student needs.

The renovation has created a spacious, open layout that provides greater access to books, information, and technology, and enables multiple methods of teaching and learning.

The library, built in 1970, is considered a cornerstone of the Fieldston educational experience. The new layout, combined with modern technological and environmental systems, provides an improved user experience and enables the library to adapt to its changing needs.

Enclosed collaboration rooms and support spaces are situated around the perimeter and create a flexible central space with book stacks, group work areas, and places for individual study.

Custom glass fiber-reinforced gypsum ceilings are a key element of the acoustic strategy and incorporate new LED lighting. Careful zoning of activities combined with extensive sound absorption fosters an environment conducive to both individual and collaborative work throughout the library.

Strategic placement of bookshelves and other furniture in the central commons strengthens visual connections, improves both the quantity and quality of daylight, and provides generous views of the surrounding wooded campus.

The Fieldston school has about 1,700 students on two campuses—one in the Riverdale section of the Bronx and the other in Manhattan.

The architect is Architecture Research Office.

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