Oceanside Library Receives Archi Award!
The Long Island Branch of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) recently recognized the Oceanside Library with the Archi Award for Interior Architecture – Non-Residential at their 61st Annual Archi Awards, an event dedicated to honoring the best of the best of Long Island’s architecture industry.
The new and improved Oceanside Library was designed in partnership with MDA designgroup architects & planners with the goal of creating an innovative hub for community gatherings, information sharing, and creative exploration, with social sustainability at its core.
Oceanside Library’s interior design emphasizes user comfort, community engagement, and creative expression with a series of redefined multi-functional spaces. Visitors entering the main-level Welcome Zone through the light-filled vestibule are greeted by an automated book return and 24/7 reservable private lockers. The entrance unfolds into main-level spaces, including an open café, technology hub, a sunroom with a fireplace, quiet study rooms, “vinyl station” for enjoying music, and light-filled reading rooms with easy-to-browse collections, all with varied seating options for visitors.
The lower-level Program Zone supports a stunningly wide range of programs and activities with a series of unique spaces, including a state-of-the-art theater, kitchen and craft activity area, podcast studio, STEM workshop, makerspace, meeting rooms, classrooms, and an art gallery with rotating exhibits showcasing work by artists in the community. These spaces, brought to life by a carefully-coordinated mixture of light wood and neutral palettes of white, gray, and accents of color, foster creativity, bringing calm to some programs and vibrancy to others depending on the needs of each program and the user groups it serves.
The library’s upper level features a variety of vibrant and engaging spaces for children and teens alike. Spaces geared toward younger visitors and their families include an “Imagination Station” for dedicated youth programming, an open story time area, a nursing lounge, and stroller parking. Preteens and teens, meanwhile, can enjoy the library’s new “Beacon” zone with varied seating, large bay windows, and a unique glass-enclosed teen “Lightbox” lounge for gathering, gaming, and completing casual group work.
Oceanside Library also emphasizes sustainability with sculptural LED lighting, a robust building envelope, and building materials high in recycled content. Adhering to biophilic design principles, the reading areas are strategically oriented to maximize natural light with insulated glazing and motorized shades. Projecting window bays with long, built-in window seats, open views, outdoor reading gardens, and a new front porch help connect the library to the natural environment and the community it serves.
Approximately 2,700 people attended the Oceanside Library’s grand reopening ceremony in October 2024, and, since that day, the library has set new records for daily attendance, program offerings, and circulation statistics. In addition to this recent award, Oceanside Library also received the Long Island Business News Real Estate, Architecture & Engineering Award for Top Public Project and was featured in the American Libraries 2025 Library Design Showcase.
Team members present to accept the Archi Award included Deputy Municipal Market Director, Libraries Katie Stone, R.A., LEED AP; Practice Leader Elisabeth Martin, FAIA; Deputy Discipline Director Eric Maisch, AIA, LEED AP; Assistant Studio Director Adriana Concepción, R.A., LEED Green Assoc.; and Senior Project Designers Marsha-Ann Cadougan, Assoc. AIA, and Linda Price.
In September 2025, Architecture New York State, the official magazine of AIA New York State, published an article by Elisabeth Martin outlining these design principles and providing insight into the creative process. To read Elisabeth’s full article, check out the September 2025 issue of Architecture New York State.