The Library Leadership and Management Association (LLAMA) , a division of the American Library Association (ALA), and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) honored the winners of the 2014 Library Interior Design Awards at ALA’s annual conference held in Las Vegas in June. Over 200 entries were reviewed, and many of this year’s 19 winners have a vibrant and functional design that takes into consideration that libraries are more than ever a gathering space for their community.
Top row: Midland Centennial Library, TX; Central Library, Bottom row, l.-r.: St. Louis Public Library, Glenmore Christian Academy Elemantray Library, Calgary Alta. Midland photo by Maxwell Filmworks; St. Louis photo ©Timothy Hursley; Glenmore photo by Dawn Stringer, On A Wire Photography & Design
“There’s a whole trend of libraries being community spaces, and you can really see the real strong evidence for that in visuals for this competition,” IIDA executive VP and CEO Cheryl S. Durst says. “In so many of the entries we saw that the libraries wanted to be a centerpiece and a center place for a community.”
Serving as the judging panel for the 2014 ALA/IIDA Library Interior Design Awards were Christy S. Cain, senior associate, Perkins + Will; Stasia Czech, senior associate and interior designer, NBBJ; Jessica N. Kayongo, anthropology & interim sociology librarian, Hesburgh Libraries, University of Notre Dame; and Richard L. (Dick) Waters, MLS, principal consultant, Godfrey’s Associates, Inc.
As you walk into the library, one of the first things you can see is a large radius bookshelf with a round bulkhead overhead, with colorful lights that help to establish a sense of space. Walk around the library and find graphic wallpaper of the alphabet, with custom bench seating and computer stools that can wobble slightly for children to enjoy.
Low-level bookshelves, seats, and computer desk units make the space comfortable for young students and easier for librarians and teachers to monitor the children in the library. Half of the furniture is movable in order to be convenient for adults who use the space for meetings. A designated room at the side has a smartboard and adjustable bench seating for teachers.
He designed the two-story Children’s Library Discovery Center with the narrative of “Exploring Your World” in mind, best captured by a colorful portal from the main library with the word “Discover!” hanging overhead, which leads to an interactive map of the county on the floor.
From there children can follow colored lines along the floor and stairs to a section of the library as part of a wayfinding system. Each color is associated with a specific topic; in each section, a sculpture related to the theme can be found hanging above (i.e., planets above the astronomy section). In the center of the main level there is an activity area for science-based interactive exhibit stations programmed by the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The seating and tables were designed to accommodate future interactive activities.
Based on continued discussions between Dewberry and members of the community, the architects settled on a nature theme that would emanate a sense of warmth to create a welcoming space for everyone. To that end, they placed a working fireplace in a quiet room and realistic replicas of four different trees indigenous to the area, which was especially meaningful at a time when Midland was experiencing severe drought.
Wanting to marry the traditional feel with 21st-century technology, Dewberry designed a pathway that runs through the library with images projected from above. Projectors were also installed in the children’s room, which also houses a model hot air balloon in which children can read. There is also a large flexible multipurpose space to help bring other kinds of culture to the community, which otherwise lacks space to house traveling exhibitions.
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