Eduardo Castro was project manager for the South Court project, a six-story infill structure in the open south courtyard of the historic New York Public Library. In an area that once served as an entrance for horse carriages, South Court accommodates the Library’s growing public education program as well as administrative and staff support space. The new building houses an electronic teaching center, an orientation theater, an auditorium, administrative offices, and a staff lounge located on the glass-walled top floor.
As an addition to a landmark building, the project demanded a structure that was not visible from the exterior of the original Carrère and Hastings building. In order to provide the desired space and program elements, the architect created levels below grade, thereby maintaining the existing building’s height. The below grade levels required underpinning the massive foundations of the existing Library all around the court. South Court is detached from the original structure, touching the existing façades lightly, making only minimal connections necessary for travel between the two buildings.
