Writers and academics revolted, arguing that the stacks had to remain or the main branch would no longer be a place for serious scholarship. They won, but then the project just seemed to stall.

How did your work with the New York Public Library move it forward?

When I came on board, the library had just pivoted from a long-term partnership with Norman Foster that in hindsight was a mismatch. In resetting their thinking, they established the idea of creating a Midtown campus.

The notion of a connection of these two celebrated buildings (the main research branch and the Mid-Manhattan Library) brought into sharp focus the kind of architect who could bring this to life. Just eight months later the architect Francine Houben of the Dutch firm Mecanoo was selected by the library.

Today the complete interior renovation of the Mid-Manhattan Library is well underway, and work has begun across Fifth Avenue at the main branch. Both buildings will provide more public space including a magnificent roof terrace at the Mid-Manhattan Library.

Topped by a sloping copper roof, this outdoor space is in direct dialogue with the main branch across the way. If you stand now on the corner of 40th and Fifth Avenue you can already see that connection happening. New Yorkers are going to get excited.

Hudson Yards has gotten very little love from New Yorkers. If you had been hired to advise the developers, what would you have done differently?

This is a tough question. Best I can tell, New Yorkers are struggling with a basic tenet of design: scale and how a structure connects to its surroundings both physically and culturally.