New Lots Library Facade

While at MASS, I developed the initial parametric script for the facade of the New Lots Library renovation — a key architectural element envisioned as a woven veil that provides shade, frames views, and invites movement around and through the building. Working closely with the design team, I translated early conceptual sketches into a flexible Grasshopper definition capable of generating the screen geometry, adjusting panel spacing, curvature, and marker placement in response to facade orientation and program needs.

The facade design draws inspiration from “Lifting the Veil” by Sanford Biggers and reflects the project’s larger narrative: to uncover, honor, and activate the history of a site built on a rediscovered African burial ground. The screen is designed to embed legacy markers — inscribed with community-selected quotes and stories — while also modulating light and creating layered visual connections between the library’s interior and the adjacent Remembrance Plaza.

This project is an example of how computational design tools can support community-centered architecture, allowing for both spatial complexity and cultural specificity. The script I developed became a working tool for design exploration as the team evolved the veil concept into a system of structural and symbolic elements woven into the building itself.

Read more about this project here.