Oceanside Library
Oceanside, NY | 2024

Oceanside Library, known for their vision of innovative customer service offered with a “can-do” spirit, asked for “out of the box” thinking in every design decision. In response, the design team created a vibrant community hub and an open platform for collaboration and creativity.

As the record attendance attests since opening, innovation is everywhere. Where few visited the former building, over 2,700 people arrived on opening day and daily records have been set since. Open flexible areas optimize user choice as the quality of user experience guided architectural and sustainable solutions. Community requests for 24/7 services, a vibrant café, flexible study/meeting spaces, a theater showcasing local arts, tech spaces for content creation, and dedicated youth services drove essential parts of the solution. The building physically and metaphorically extends into the neighborhood with relocation of the entry to the corner of the sizable addition. Views into the building showcase activity and a “Front Porch” welcomes the community to this newly reimagined space.

The library demonstrates respect for our environment with sustainable strategies on display. Lessons come from technological systems, civic programs, ecological materials, and the visible efficiency of its infrastructure. Oceanside Library has transformed into a true locus of community participation and activity.

Credits:
Architects/Engineers of record – H2M Architects and Engineers
Design Architects and Library Planners – MDA Designgroup
Photography by Robert Lowell