New Safety Feature Installed In NYU's Bobst Library
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - There's something new at NYU's Bobst library.
The university installed a gold-colored aluminum lining on balconies and stairwells, in reaction to three suicides since 2003. The students all jumped to their deaths in the library's atrium.
WCBS 880's Rich Lamb reports
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WCBS 880's Rich Lamb spoke to students and faculty who all agreed the university did the right thing by installing the aluminum veil, but reaction to the design was mixed.
"Looks nice. I work in one of the libraries [and] you can still see the windows, you can see out through it so it's not a total view-blocker," one woman told Lamb.
"It looks kind of 70s. It looks kind of like a golden waterfall kind of rainstorm thing," said another woman.
"I think it's a great idea actually. I think that the design is really neat. It sort of keeps the open feel of the library which is one of its selling points, but also there's that protective element there. And especially during exam times we have guards walking around and that can be a little eerie so this is, I think, a nicer way to get the same message across," a professor told Lamb.
One woman said the new lining fits in with what Philip Johnson originally designed when he built the library.
"Actually, it looks like it fits the original design of the building and, yeah, there was a kid that killed himself a couple of years ago so, sure," she told Lamb.
What do you think of the new addition to Bobst Library? Please share your thoughts below...
