Amityville High School Library Renovation

Four years after Amityville voters passed a $69.9 million capital bond project, a number of miscellaneous construction projects have taken place at the district’s high school. In the summer of 2019, one of the interior renovation assignments completed by BBS included complete re-thinking of the school’s existing 2,300 square-foot library and adapting this low and elongated space to the needs of the 21st century flexible learning-environments.

BBS interior designers approached this challenging assignment with a “start-from-scratch” mentality which allowed them to play into both the strengths of the space (plenty of daylight and accessibility from the adjacent building) as well as its spatial limitations manifested in a low-ceiling construction and 25-feet-wide wall-to-wall distance.

Used strategically in well-defined locations of the library, various interior materials and furniture selections feature school colors – red and grey – visually enlarging the elongated, rectangular geometry of the room. Variety of seating, furniture and book stack solutions within each study area of the library offers flexibility for a quick change in study group size or learning style – from casual to more formal. As a result, the renovated Amityville High School Library space has the ability to function more as a flexible commons/social area rather than a just a “traditional library.”

Oversized windows let in ample daylight for several high-table study areas designed along the library’s south-facing perimeter wall. Loosely defined through furniture arrangements, the Central Learning Area functions as a collaborative work zone and is equipped with a floor-to-ceiling write-able walls, multi-media presentation screen, and latest technology/ connections capable of accommodating media-sharing between individuals and groups alike. A small Work Room, Quiet Room and Service Closet located at the eastern end of the volume maintain visual connection with the main library space through a set of noise-attenuating glazed walls and openings. On the other side of the Library, a new set of modern book stacks and casework along with reading tables represent a more structured library environment.