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Brick Curves

Type
Public Library
Location
Seneca Falls, New York, USA
Instructor
Prof. Marta H. Wisniewska
Year
2022

Brick Curves is a public library and community gathering place in Seneca Falls, New York. Neighboring daylight conditions guide the building's form, while curved entrances and carved-out edges connect the library to outdoor classrooms, play areas, and places to pause.

Brick provides a link to the material character of local public buildings and takes on structural, daylighting, and spatial roles. A vaulted ground floor accommodates public events, while reading and study spaces are organized around a central auditorium, connecting quiet learning with collective community life.

Context analysis of nearby public programs and building facades
Neighborhood Programs and Building Study

Shaped by Context and Daylight

The context study locates the library among surrounding streets, public programs, and existing buildings. Limiting additional shade on neighboring properties is a key aim of the massing design. Curved recesses mark entrances, while portions carved from the volume are reinterpreted on adjacent sites as outdoor classrooms and play areas. The site plan therefore describes both the building's placement and the extension of its public life into the neighborhood.

Brick Curves site plan
Site Plan · Library and Outdoor Activities

An Open Ground Floor and Central Auditorium

Vaults organize the ground-floor support system and release a relatively continuous plan for gatherings and public events. Curved entrances and the rhythm of arches mediate between the street and the interior, allowing arrival, waiting, and informal activity to take place along the building edge.

Above, programs are arranged around the central auditorium, with study areas placed at the corners of each floor. The floor plans and building section connect this central volume to the circulation and upper opening, while the surrounding rooms provide different settings for reading and learning.

Floor Plans · Levels 1–3
Brick Curves elevation drawing
Street Elevation and Curved Roof Profile
Brick Curves section A drawing
Building Section · Vaults and Auditorium

Three Roles for Brick

Brick is developed as more than a surface finish. Load-bearing walls work with reinforced concrete as part of the structural system; porous brick patterns introduce natural light; and double-layered partition walls give internal boundaries depth. Together, these roles link material expression with support, light, and spatial organization.

The detail section traces the layers of exterior brick, air gap, insulation, and reinforced concrete, bringing the roof, floor assemblies, and vaulted ground-floor support into one vertical study. The exploded axonometric separates the roof, reading floors, central auditorium, and ground-floor vaults to clarify how the building's open and enclosed spaces are assembled.

Detail section showing the brick envelope, floor assemblies, roof, and vaulted ground floor
Detail Section · Brick Envelope and Vaults
Exploded axonometric of the roof, central auditorium, floors, and ground-floor vaults
Exploded Axonometric · Spatial Organization

From Building Form to Street Scale

Lifting the model's roof reveals the auditorium, floor plates, and vaulted base, making the internal organization legible. Closer views bring attention to the curved roof profile and the ground-floor arches, while the surrounding white buildings establish the proposal's scale within the street. The model presents the library as both a distinct civic building and an accessible place for shared community use.

Brick Curves red roof model held above the site model
Physical Model · Roof and Interior Organization
Brick Curves red arched model
Physical Model · Curved Roof and Arches
Brick Curves red model among white street buildings
Physical Model · Library in the Streetscape