LOOK: New Renderings of Future Greenpoint Library

Renderings courtesy of the Brooklyn Public Library

GREENPOINT, BROOKLYN — Greenpoint's squat, brick library at Norman Avenue and Leonard Street will be torn down next year and replaced with an elaborate, three-story, environmentally focused library complete with an accessible rooftop park and "rainwater harvesting," if all goes according to plan.

The Brooklyn Public Library released new renderings on Wednesday of its planned Greenpoint Library and Environmental Education Center, an $11 million project.

The Center, slated to open in late spring 2018, is being funded by $6 million from the Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) and $5 million from the Greenpoint Environmental Community Fund — a $19.5 million grant program whose funds came from a settlement with Exxon-Mobil over the notorious, years-long Greenpoint oil spill.

According to the renderings, the building's first floor (pictured below) will feature work spaces for adults and children.

The second floor (also pictured below) will include a teen area, according to BPL officials, as well as spaces reserved specifically for use by environmental groups.

Ames O'Neill, who handles strategic planning for the BPL system, said the new building will be energy efficient.

Large windows lining it walls, she said, will let in lots of natural light.

The structure's third floor (pictured above) will be an open-air green roof, O'Neill said. Roof programming will include gardening, composting and other environmentally minded initiatives.

However, the library's current design isn't set in stone. O'Neill said the proposal must still be reviewed in May by the city's Public Design Commission, which is tasked with approving parks, public art and permanent structures.

The library's estimated construction cost isn't finalized yet, either, O'Neill said. Fluctuating costs could result in alterations to the design.

The existing Greenpoint Library (pictured below) is expected to be open through December. It will then be demolished in early 2017 to make way for the new building.

Greenpoint Library staffers are in talks with the nearby Polish & Slavic Center, located at 176 Java St., to see if some of the library's Polish collection could be housed there during construction, according to library officials.

Other community sites may also house library activities during the construction period, officials said. Meanwhile, the nearby Leonard Library — located at 81 Devoe St. in East Williamsburg — will maintain its normal, six-day-a-week schedule.