Free Library of Philadelphia
Location
Philadalphia, PA
Completed
2019
Size
45,000 SF
Owners
Free Library of Philadelphia
Architect
Safdie Architects
Photographer
© Halkin Mason Photography
Awards
2020 IALD Award of Merit
2020 IES Awards Boston Section – Honorable Mention
Design Team
The interior renovation of the Free Library of Philadelphia, located in a 90-year-old Beaux Arts building in Logan Square, aims to restore the building to its original grandeur, while creating new public spaces for the library of the 21st century. The Architect’s vision of a trellis ceiling comes to life with custom direct/indirect fixtures, integrated within the existing beams of the ceiling. Fitting between non-symmetrical beam spacings, the light fixtures provide a grand gesture of a pattern, spanning from the great reading room all the way through to the meeting rooms and study areas along the building’s perimeter, and throughout all floors of the library. The light levels are controlled through various scenes to allow for flexibility between daytime, nighttime, and evening events.