Expert Opinion
Six experienced library architects advise on creating new facilities.
By Staff -- Library Journal, 9/15/2005
Listen to people and place, hire a creative architect, and be open-minded.
CASE STUDY The Westwood Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library opened in May. The site's tight size (approximately 18,350 square feet) posed special challenges with regard to access and parking. By raising the library to the second floor, we allowed for three levels of parking…a new paradigm for an L.A. branch library. A two-story atrium connects the library to the plaza, community room, and street. The neighboring cemetery, a final resting place for numerous Hollywood icons such as Marilyn Monroe and Burt Lancaster, adds an uncharacteristic green space for this neighborhood urban oasis, and the views of it were maximized throughout the design.
Mark Schatz | Field Paoli Architects
Work with a library architect who can help you develop your program and plan flexible interior space that can change with changing library uses. Involve the local community during the concept phase to reach consensus on services, resolve site issues, and gain widespread support for your building project. Explore self-service options such as self-checkout for some tasks, which will allow staff more time for in-depth service.
CASE STUDY It's important that a library fits in its setting. The new Belmont Library, CA, will feature expansive window walls that embrace the historic oak grove at the center of the site.
Use architects who use libraries—not just "design them." Go see several libraries of the size you are planning. Know and understand budgets—and the complete elements of the total budget. Make sure the person you interview is the person who stays with you. Attend planning sessions at the Public Library Association and American Library Association. Check references thoroughly.
CASE STUDY News of the success of the intense community process we used for the Fayetteville Public Library, AR (LJ's Library of the Year 2005), has spread. What is especially unique is that thisis an antithetical process to "heroic" architecture…. In our projects, the design is guided by great design but informed by the community.
Worry less about technology and think more about creating diverse and flexible spaces that users want to be in…. [W]hile the technologies will change repeatedly in the life of the building, the qualities of light, color, joy, and delight will remain for a long time if done right.
CASE STUDY Phase One of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, is about to open. The 240,000 square foot facility includes the largest automatic retrieval system in an academic library (capacity: 1.4 million volumes) as well as a wide range of collaborative seating areas, open shelving, academic programs, technology learning resources, classrooms, and meeting areas in a uniquely "multitasking" building…. The expansion includes a dramatic new community concourse and entrance to the east, expressing the Learning Centre's mission of outreach…to the entire province.
Talk with an architect who not only understands how libraries work but who will also work with you, your staff, the board, and the community on new ideas and offer creative approaches and solutions.
CASE STUDY The Morley Library, Painesville, OH, was unable to acquire land for expansion or a new site, so we worked with the library to develop a vertical solution on its existing property. We built a new 67,000 square foot library on four levels in the original parking lot, then demolished the original library for new parking. We worked very closely with the library to make sure the change in layout from two to four stories would not require more staffing. The solution…reinforces the character of the historic architecture of downtown Painesville, and we also saved approximately $500,000 in temporary relocation costs.
Include a "blue sky" wish list in addition to the nuts-and-bolts program needs. We often surprise our clients by creatively and economically accommodating their vision when it's identified early in the design process.
CASE STUDY As an addition to the civic center development, the Dublin Library, CA (Alameda County Library), contributes a strong civic icon with its architectural rotunda. This element provides a powerful spatial element to the interior as a hub around which the various program elements are organized.
