Three of the buildings in Queens I drove by last week are libraries, with only one of them completed and occupied: the Glen Oaks branch near the borough's eastern edge. Designed by Marble Fairbanks (which has a thorough and informative journal on the project), the library was voted Building of the Year at American-Architects in 2013, they year it opened. Although I curated that feature and found the project to deserve its winning status, last week was the first time I had the chance to visit the library, even though I live in the borough.

The building is located on the south side of busy Union Turnpike, and the library's north-facing elevation is all glass and signage. There are actually two signs: one geared to pedestrians and one to motorists; the latter is the word "SEARCH" written in light across the upper panes of glass. The effect is created by a parapet with the back surface etched with the word on a layer of film; the sun projects the word onto the curtain wall in front. Since the letters are "written" by the sun, the effect is ever-changing, though on the day I visited there were only a few clouds so the letters were crisp (although the back surface could be glimpsed from across the street, creating a light-shadow of sorts).
The signage at top intrigues passersby, while the subtle signage across the top of the storefront makes it clear that this is a branch of the Queens Library.

The glass storefront curves inward toward th...