NYU Decks Out Bobst Library With Beautiful Suicide-Prevention Screen

Libraries are supposed to be places for quiet contemplation and study but unfortunately at NYU, the <a href="http://www.nyu.edu/academics/libraries/elmer-holmes-bobstlibrary.html" target="_blank">Elmer Holmes Bobst Library</a> has also been the scene of several grisly suicides. As a way to prevent these tragedies and other accidents, the school enlisted <a href="http://www.joelsandersarchitect.com/" target="_blank">Joel Sanders Architects</a> to create a new safety screen to cover the openings of the library's atriums, and the result is as beautiful as it is utilitarian. The golden screens are crafted from custom-made aluminum sheets which have been digitally-punched with perforations that allow daylight to filter through the space while protecting students.

Showing a working mode of the screen design.

Under Construction: screen ready to be installed are laid out on the atrium floor.

Screen under construction.

The inner elevation of the screen is supported by matching uprights.

A safety measure that glistens.

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