L10 Arts & Cultural Center EXCELLENCE
The L10 Arts and Cultural Center brings together four major institutions—BAM, Brooklyn Public Library, MoCADA, and 651 ARTS—into a unified 65,000 SF home within a mixed-use tower in Downtown Brooklyn. Located on floors 2–4, the project reimagines the vertical civic building as a layered public landscape, accessible both physically and experientially.
The design challenges conventional boundaries through a series of spatial and material gestures. A curvilinear wood wall weaves through the interiors, expanding and contracting in response to the diverse needs of each partner. This singular element supports shelving, seating, exhibition, and circulation—offering continuity while preserving autonomy.
A stepped plaza rises from the street, transforming the base of the tower into an active civic stage for performances, protests, and community gathering. Interior layouts prioritize porosity and cross-program visibility, encouraging discovery and dialogue across disciplines.
Programmatically complex—cinemas, black box theater, archives, library, galleries—the design is underpinned by rigorous acoustic, lighting, and infrastructure coordination. Certified LEED Gold and a NYC Leading Green Public Project, L10 demonstrates how design can merge equity, adaptability, and technical precision into a vibrant civic experience.
Photos of BPL: © Alexander Severin
Photos of MoCADA, BAM & 651 ARTS: © Alan Karchmer / OTTO