The Uni Project
New York, NY
www.theuniproject.org
The Uni is a portable reading room for New York City conceived of and run by Leslie and Sam Davol. It provides a new kind of amenity for city residents, while fostering a stronger, more prominent culture of reading and learning.
The Uni consists of lightweight cubes that serve as shelves and stack to create a place to gather. Benches provide seating, and volunteers act as hosts. The people who gather around are transformed into readers on a kind of stage, and neighborhoods are transformed into places where the value of reading and learning is recognized, promoted, and shared.
The Uni was launched with a crowd-funding campaign and put into service on September 11, 2011. In 2012, Leslie and Sam deployed the Uni ten times in seven different New York City neighborhoods, and also shipped a second Uni to Almaty, Kazakhstan.
In 2013, with the support of foundations and a growing list of contributors, the project will more than double the number of NYC deployments. The project will also launch a new cart design, which will be offered to neighborhoods and cities beyond the reach of the Uni in New York.