Reimagining the Li Lu Law Library at Columbia Law School

Please join the AIANY Women in Architecture Committee for a conversation on reimagining a historic academic building for the way people learn and work today. The Li Lu Law Library reimagines three floors within Columbia Law School's Jerome Greene Hall, a dense, book-stack-dominated library on Columbia's Morningside campus, as a distributed learning ecosystem for 21st-century scholarship. The renovation respects the building's mid-century architectural heritage while creating a flexible, technology-enabled environment for today's law students. Complicating the work further, the entire renovation was carried out while the building remained fully occupied, with students, faculty, and staff. Biophilic elements alongside classic finishes give the space an aesthetic that feels both grounded in tradition and forward-looking. This session brings together Katrina Collins, Project Manager at Columbia University Facilities & Operations, Mary Mahany, Project Executive at Shawmut Construction, and Mindy No, AIA, Principal at Perkins Eastman, for a conversation on the planning, design, and construction challenges of renovating an occupied, historic academic building.

The reorganized space moves away from a collection-first model toward one built around a spectrum of human cognitive states: focus, collaboration, restoration, and social connection. Adaptable furniture and infrastructure support the way people work and study today, from group work to quiet individual study. Delivered LEED Gold and recognized with the 2026 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Award (Academic Libraries, Over 30,000 Square Feet), the project came together through sustained engagement with fiscal stewards, faculty, students, and donors over a multi-year, phased renovation.

The result is a fundamental reorientation of what a law library is for, from institution-serving to human-serving. It stands as a real-world case study in how a historic academic building can be structurally and programmatically reimagined to respond to how students learn today, with human focus and wellbeing at the center of the design.

Speakers:
Katrina Collins, Project Manager, Columbia University Facilities & Operations
Mary Mahany, Senior Project Executive, Shawmut Design and Construction
Mindy No, AIA, Principal in Charge, Perkins Eastman

About the Speakers:
Katrina Collins received her bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York City. She began her career as a structural engineer before transitioning into the building sector. With more than a decade of experience in construction project management, she has led a wide range of renovation and historic restoration projects, primarily for cultural institutions throughout New York City. Since joining Columbia University in 2022, Collins has managed several complex capital projects focused on modernizing academic spaces while preserving their historic character. She served as the lead project manager for the building-wide Infrastructure Enabling Project and the 55,000-square-foot renovation of the Columbia Law Library in Jerome Greene Hall. Her work emphasizes thoughtful collaboration with faculty, staff, designers, and contractors to deliver projects that enhance the University's teaching, research, and student experience.

Mary Mahany is a senior project executive at Shawmut Design and Construction, a leading $2.3 billion national construction management firm, overseeing the office and field operations for her projects, serving as key owner liaison accountable for client satisfaction, project success, and process innovation. With 25 years of experience in the construction industry, Mahany has worked across sectors including education, commercial, healthcare, hospitality, and more. Mahany is on NEW (Nontraditional Employment for Women)’s Ambassador Council. She’s been named a Crain’s New York Business Notable Woman in Construction and New York Real Estate Journal One to Watch Industry Leader.

Mindy No is a Principal at Perkins Eastman, with over 30 years of experience as an architect, designer, and project manager. Her portfolio includes high-profile, award-winning academic and civic projects spanning libraries, classroom buildings, performing arts facilities, museums, and health science and medical education, with particular strength in guiding complex projects to completion. Most recently, No led Perkins Eastman's multi-phase work at Columbia Law School's Li Lu Law Library, overseeing the project from feasibility and infrastructure assessment through a full renovation. Her approach balanced stakeholder engagement, collections stewardship, and infrastructure planning to deliver flexible, student-centered spaces built around how people actually learn today. Beyond her project work, No serves on the Board of Directors for the ACE Mentor Program of Greater NY and co-chairs the DOE Career & Technical Education Engineering and Architecture Commission, reflecting her ongoing commitment to mentoring the next generation of design professionals.