The Uni Project & Höweler + Yoon Architecture

The Uni

New York City and elsewhere

2011 to present

The Uni is a mobile, modular outdoor library designed to reinforce the potential for learning in the public sphere. Developed in Boston by Street Lab (now The Uni Project) in collaboration with Höweler + Yoon Architecture, the Uni introduces an unfamiliar use of the public realm, converting any square or sidewalk into a plein-air learning lounge. Uni’s lightweight modular structures are composed of open-faced stacking cubes, which can each hold 10 to 15 books, and can be adapted to almost any public space. The first was assembled in a street market in Lower Manhattan, and Unis have since been installed all over New York City, Boston, and recently, in Almaty, Kazakhstan, with book selections varying according to location and time.

Accessibility, Community, Economy, Information, Pleasure
20,000 for the largest installation
1 month fabrication + 1 hour install/de-install
2-4 to install, operate, de-install
Problem - limited access to learning resources
Solution - mobile open-air reading room