Library Buildings around the World

Brown Falconer Group, Maylands, SA – Australia
http://www.brownfalconer.com.au
Libraries:
Mount Garnbier Library, Mount Garnbier, SA – Australia 2010
Mount Gambier Library is an exemplar project. It contributes significantly to contemporary architectural design practice by
demonstrating that public libraries can positively connect with and appeal to all age groups within a diverse community. This is
evident in a major cultural shift where ‘meet you at the Library’ is the new catchcry spread throughout this regional city.
Collaborative design has been the core strategy for delivery of an architectural and interiors outcome which is fully integrated from
a macro to the micro scale. The branding ideas evolved from the initial concept designs for the ‘lattice of letters’
feature screens. …
(http://www.architecture.com.au/awards_search?option=showaward&entryno=2010054419)
Gregory Burgess Architects, Richmond, VIC – Australia
http://gbarch.com.au
RAIA (Royal Australian Institute of Architects Gold Medal 2004
Libraries:
Castlemaine Library & Theatre, Castlemaine, VIC – Australia 2004
This refurbishment and extension of an existing library and theatre is situated within and around a heritage listed building, and
underwent a process of extensive collaboration with the local community, the staff and the council. The tight budgetary constraints
demanded an innovative and economical approach and the resultant design is an excellent re-use of an important historical building,
ensuring its ongoing role and value in the community. (Burgess)
Phoenix Park Community Centre & Library, Stonnington, VIC – Australia 2001
This community facility including a library, galleries, multi-purpose hall and cafe, involved the re-use of a disused high school
building and a newly built wing. The sensitive handling of the interface between the old and the new was central in establishing the
new facility in its site. (Burgess)
Eltham Library & Community Centre, Eltham, VIC – Australia 1995
The Eltham Library is an innovative building in a historic precinct, comprising of a library, gallery, cafe and multipurpose areas.
Since the 1930s Eltham has developed a vibrant artistic and cultural community, with a strong environmental focus. The design of
the building pays homage to and celebrates this spirit with its extensive use of natural materials, low energy consumption and its
sympathetic response to people and the environment. The library has recently been placed under a Heritage Overlay by local
Council, in recognition of its outstanding value to the local community. The Eltham Library is known architecturally as one as the
best in the state and an icon for Nillumbik Council. It receives visitors from around Australia and the world to view its innovative
architectural style. The Shire recently commissioned Gregory Burgess Architects to improve the library’s future trends in service
delivery. Part of the brief was to create a secure children’s activity area. It can also be used by parents to read stories with their
children in the lovely outdoor setting. (Burgess)
BVN ( Bligh Voller Nied ), Brisbane, QLD – Australia
http://www.bvn.com.au
Libraries:
Kingston Library, Kingston, ACT – Australia 2010
Awards:
2010 RAIA Interior Architecture Commendation ACT Chapter
Located amidst Kingston’s bustling shopping strip is the new Public Library, a contemporary take on a traditional community
institution. It contains in excess of 20,000 items and is linked into the ACT Libraries network. This is a modern library; a bustling,
energetic, open and engaging space. Patrons are encouraged by its location, tactility and welcome nature to drop in. The
philosophical approach to the project and its design is to make it as easy and as desirable as possible to visit. A simple diagram of a
joinery spine contains the library functions including borrowing, membership, magazine and newspaper reading, internet access,
and computer game consoles; occupying a strip down the centre of the space. Fixed shelves are located along the periphery with
movable shelves located centrally. This diagram is reinforced with linear light fittings, air conditioning duct and power/data cable
trays. Adjacent to the new entry is an intimate reading area, slightly separated from the library proper. A curved, up-lit plywood
ceiling above the entry and joinery spine enhances the warmth of the face bricks, timber floor and joinery. The scheme integrates
and exposes all of the functions required to run the library with a sense of delight and honesty. (BVN)
St. Edmund´s College, Library Extension, Canberra-Griffith, ACT – Australia 2009
The extended junior and senior library at St Edmund’s College, Griffith, provide a vital addition to the College’s infrastructure—
both physical and intellectual. It provides diverse teaching environments that go beyond the ‘shhh’ of an earlier age. The new library
contains different types of spaces; an open stair links the junior and senior library, the sawtooth façade creates enclosed and open
spaces as well as providing solar protection, and the corners or ‘ears’ of the implied triangular plan create unofficial gathering areas.
The stair, located in the space between the new and old, reveals the original brick façade and allows natural light penetration,
fostering the notion of a shared environment between the junior and senior students. The library has a rich tectonic for student and
staff use, using simple, robust materials conducive to a sense of warmth and welcome.
(http://www.architecture.com.au/i-cms?page=14328)
Civic Square Library and Theatre Link, Canberra, ACT – Australia 2007
Civic Square is significant in Canberra's planning history, being encompassed in Walter Burley Griffin's 1911 award winning design
for the National Capital, centred on his axis from City Hill to Mt Ainslie. Adjacent on the podium at the head of the Square are the
Canberra Theatre and Playhouse. These were originally linked with an open colonnade, which was later enclosed to form a ticket
office, an enlarged theatre foyer and exhibition space. Popularly referred to as “The Link”, this building had numerous design
inadequacies – of particular concern was the inequitable access to the building with no ramp to the podium. A decision to relocate
the Civic branch of the ACT Library to a new combined Library and Link building enlivened the project to proceed into detailed
planning in 2001. The building was completed in 2006. It was recognised early that the briefed accommodation requirements
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