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Queens's quirky waterfront library fitted with concrete facade

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The $38 million project has made good progress in the last year

The quirky looking public library rising on the Long Island City waterfront has topped out and is now fully clad in its concrete facade, new photos by Field Condition reveal. Being built at a cost of $38 million, the Steven Holl Architects-designed building stands 81.5-feet tall and is distinguishable for the unique looking cutouts in the facade. These cutouts provide views to guests in the kids, teen, and adult reading rooms that the architects have planned over there.

The project took some time to get underway after the design was first revealed in 2011. But after having overcome bureaucratic and budget concerns, construction got underway last year with a completion slated for sometime next year.

Located right between the iconic Pepsi-Cola sign and the Long Island City sign on the waterfront, the library will stand out, not just for the cutouts of course but also because the concrete exterior will be covered with metallic paint that will make it shimmer in the sunlight.

Field Condition also managed to go inside the construction site and has captured several images of what will become the many amenities of the Hunters Point Library including a cyber center, a roof terrace, a cafe, and an outdoor amphitheater. Head on over to Field Condition to check out more construction shots.

The library is just one of the many high-profile, innovative public projects the city has approved in recent years (the projects are usually designed by big name firms). The city’s Department of Design and Construction recently announced a host of big firms who will have exclusive rights to requests for proposals (RFP) issued by the city for public projects.