The visual and performing arts library is part of a developing cultural district in downtown Brooklyn. A wedge-shaped lot bordered by three busy avenues, the site is a natural point of convergence within Brooklyn’s complex fabric. Yet the area lacks the urban density of Manhattan and so requires an assertive project: a library that is not only a static repository of information but a site for cultural production. The building is V-shaped in plan, its two “wings” creating a space that is both part of the city and part of the library. This space between street and institution is filled with a large staircase, an artificial topography that connects exterior and interior public spaces. The program gathers the library, an auditorium, a gallery, and amphitheaters.