Library Buildings around the World

Sacred Heart Primary School Library, Kew (Melbourne), VIC – Australia 2008
The new Library is in the Sacred Heart Primary School, located on the corner of Glenferrie and Cotham Road in Kew. It was an
urban infill exercise with the site being a playground between two impressive nineteenth century buildings, the Sacred Heart Parish
Church and the adjacent School Hall. The new Library is respectfully located between these two prominent architectural features,
balancing an autonomous presence while maintaining the continuity of the site. The form of the Library is a response to the existing
built fabric. The adjacent church is curvilinear, red brick and Renaissance inspired, made up of circular vestibules and a domed
roof. These curves are mimicked on the east façade of the Library facing the church. Juxtaposed to these curves is an Edwardian
Baroque Hall with pediments and pilasters that intensify the negative space that form the boundary to the children’s playground.
These angular shapes are replicated on the west façade. The geometric resonances of the existing buildings shape the new insertion,
providing courtyards and passages in which the children can play. The school’s identity manifests on the exterior of the building via
imagery of the schools name sake The Sacred Heart. This provides the building with a sense of place particular to the client group.
The literal expression of the bleeding heart of Jesus is represented in plan as a morphed series of traditional heart shapes. Images of
the Human Heart bisected by a Love Heart form the base geometry for the layout of the exterior walls. This produces a distorted
plan which does not address the polite ideas of scale or proportion but rather a fantastical urban condition. The building acts as a
sign. The patterned brickwork spreads along the curved love heart wall, graphically representing the motif, literally drawing a
fragment of the Sacred Heart. Entwined thorns are emblazoned like a bill board on Glenferrie Road visually announcing school’s
identity. Further still the heart shaped building is gripped by an abstracted representation of the Crown of Thorns. A metal clad
clerestory with triangular pink, red and rose colored windows punched through, wraps the blood red brickwork tightly. The client
required a multi-functional space that functioned as an I.T. classroom, Library, Reading Recovery and a Learning Centre.The multi
disciplinary space is large and column free, dissected with a double volume clerestory roof formed from the overarching Crown of
Thorns. The clerestory encourages the reliance on natural light and natural ventilation. Further sustainability measures were
employed such as zoned lighting and energy saving fixtures and fittings throughout. The materiality of the Library was budget
driven. The economic palette selected was brick, painted fibre cement sheet, and metal cladding. All consultants were committed to
producing an innovative cost effective outcome. The new library is a unique building shaped by the existing conditions, not fighting
for attention in an already star studded composition. (Suters)
Caroline Spring Civic Centre / Library, Caroline Spring, VIC – Australia 2008
As part of an integrated development for the Caroline Springs Town Centre, the Shire of Melton commissioned the development of a
2,500sm library and civic centre. The design for the Caroline Springs Library was inspired by the local geological features of the
area, from which the Organ Pipes National Park derives its name. These distinctive columnar basalt formations only occur in a few
locations in Victoria and are reflected in many elements of the building, such as: - Tesselated/ Randomised pre-cast walls throughout
the building - Large supersized hexagons which formed the main entry elements to both buildings and were created using stepped
concrete columns with infill pieces - Cranked glass external façade which extends the visual language of the pre-cast The technical
production of these elements was particularly challenging and could only have been possible with teamwork between consultants,
suppliers and architects. In geological terms, when one material overlays another this phenomena is referred to as a layer of
unconformity..a material no mans land. This layer of unconformity- a noble metaphor for a library and the pursuit of knowledge-
became a stylized figuration that framed the horizon of the building as an alpolic edge. This was further articulated by a soft and
canopy to the exterior of the building and a light shelf and edge to the clerestory. The layer of unconformity is broken through by an
internal north facing clerestory that runs the length of the building. The interior design, which was created in association with Alex
Hotchin Design, was similarly inspired by the organ pipes basalt formations. The main internal corridor of the building is
punctuated by a alpolic soffit that extends from outside to inside. Feature walls within the main circulation spaces are punctuated
with the same hexagonal profile. Given the dual uses for the building- library and civic centre- there was a strong need for zoned
areas. This was achieved by predominantly using the ceiling to infer the enclosure of space. Concrete blade walls became key
elements within some of the main internal spaces. The floor furnishings utilize interface carpets with a series of tretford highlights.
These highlights also follow another moment (referred to as the Rosette Stone) in the area’s geological history. Within the building
our design seeks to explore the experience of knowledge and learning, and importantly the modalities of learning. There are social
spaces such as a café adjacent to a magazine and library reading areas, ICT room for school groups, the community and the
University of the Third Age. At the western end of the internal street a cohort learning space, coined ‘the Bat Cave’ by school
groups, provides a more private environment for group study and IT presentation preparations. The design team sought to integrate
furniture fitout and equipment, signage and library shelving as part of the overall scheme with many items designed as one-offs. In
designing the Caroline Springs Library we were conscious of the need to provide constant re-readings of the same building. (Suters)
Rouse Hill Library (Rouse Hill Town Centre), Rouse-Hill, NSW - Australia 2008
Taylor Robinson, West Leedervile, WA – Australia
http://www.taylorrobinson.com.au
Libraries:
Scotch College, Science, Technology & Learning Centre, Swanbourne (Perth), WA – Australia 2009
The $11 million Science, Technology and Learning Centre combines a number of disciplines in one state-of-the-art facility allowing
closer collaboration between two important learning areas for the College. The design incorporates a number of key sustainable
principles that will enable students and staff to engage with the technologies at work within the management of the building. (Taylor)
Edith Cowan University, Mount Lawley Library, Refurbishment, Perth, WA – Australia 2009
The upgrade of the library on the Mount Lawley campus sees acclaimed university architect, Gus Ferguson’s early 1990s building
brought into line with contemporary architecture recently completed on other campuses. Major rearrangement of spaces and the
addition of a glazed entry foyer have opened the building to the campus to improve visual, physical and functional accessibility.
Flexibility is created via a generally open plan consideration with areas for quiet individual study, group learning, casual meeting
and gallery. (Taylor)
iZone Robertson Library, Curtin University of Technology, Perth, WA – Australia 2008
This refurbishment involved the creation of a contemporary self-learning area within the context of a traditional library on the
Bentley campus. With a focus on the exchange of information, it is a 'technology rich' zone, providing opportunities for study on
various levels within a more relaxed, cafe-style environment. Individual work, group work as well as more formal presentations can
occur in the largely open area. Zones are created via permeable screens, moveable glazed writing screens and through space-defining
floor and ceiling treatments. This project received a commendation from the WA Chapter of the Institute of Architects, won the
sustainability award by InterfaceFLOR, and the Innovative Lighting award by Mondoluce. (Taylor)
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