Library Buildings around the World

Paraparaumu Library, Paraparaumu – New Zealand 2003
Awards:
2004 ACENZ Silver Award of Merit
NZIA Supreme Architecture Award Community & Cultural
NZIA Architecture Award Community & Cultural
The Paraparaumu Library is the first element of a new Civic Core for the Kapiti Coast District Council. Eventually this core will
include new civic offices, a public swimming pool, and an arts centre.
The new library needed to house a growing book collection. It also needed to provide spaces for study, relaxed reading, and
computer-based learning. There was also a requirement to provide archive facilities for historical material. In addition to these
practical matters, the council wanted the new building to be a focus for community pride and awareness.
The 2,175m2 structure is arranged on two levels. A double-height main collection volume is the dominant space. This is orientated
to ensure that local hills and Kapiti Island are engaged in the building's axial plan. The landscape features also act as opposing
vanishing points for the rectangular tubular form of the upper level.
The sense of density and enclosure at the entrance is increased by a three metre overhang of the upper form along the entire street
elevation, while 4.5 metre cantilevers at each end of the building generate a sense of reaching out to Kapiti Island and the coastal
ranges. The visual weight of the upper floor is further increased by black zinc cladding hovering over the translucent glass
sheathing of the lower form. (Warren)
South Christchurch Library and Service Centre, Christchurch – New Zealand 2003
Awards:
2005 ACENZ Innovate NZ Merit Award
NZEE Excellence Award
2004
DINZ Best Awards Commercial
NZIA Architecture Award Community & Cultural
New Zealand Property Council Education & Arts, Merit Award
NZIA Supreme Architecture Award Community & Cultural
This single-storey building was designed to serve a wide range of community needs. Among these were a traditional library, a
council service centre, meeting rooms, a learning centre with an IT suite servicing local schools, and an independent café.
The brief was developed through consultation with the local community which expressed a strong preference for an informal
building that was responsive to the environment and acknowledged the building’s unique site, bounded as it is on one edge by
Heathcote River. The core concept for the building was then developed with the help of The Natural Step, and it later become a pilot
for the development of the Christchurch City Council’s Target Zero Strategy.
With a footprint of 2,400m2, the building is comprised of four long pavilions with mono-pitch roofs. Longitudinal circulation is
provided by a sequence of corridors, with the southernmost clearly defined as enfilade and stretching the entire length of the
building.
The single-storey approach was chosen for both cost and operational reasons, and ensures that all functions are readily accessible. It
also allows for the book collection to be laid out in a simple, logical manner.
Users enter a light-filled space bounded to the north by screen walls that float between glazed bands above and below, and dissolve
into curtains of glass to the east and west. Reducing the length of each pavilion created opportunities to form light-filled reading
spaces which, to the west, open onto timber decks floating in the moat. The interior's expansive feel is enhanced by shoulder-height
book stacks, making it possible to take in almost the entire space at a glance.
External decks are surrounded by a shallow moat and set in a shaded landscape of lawn and mature trees. The moat adds an
element of security, while the water helps to blur the lines between private and public space.
ESD Features
Sustainability features make the complex one of the most environmentally friendly buildings in Christchurch providing substantial
long-term benefits for the community.
Water use. Rainwater from the roof is collected and stored in the moat for use in the toilets and irrigation system while low wateruse
plumbing fittings and waterless urinals further reduce water use.
Material selection. All timber has been sourced from certified sustainable sources. Where possible, non-toxic materials were used to
reduce indoor air pollutants as well as minimise pollution of the environment resulting from their manufacture. Durable materials
including glass and unpainted zincalume roofing minimise the use of surface finishes.
Waste minimisation. Preference was given to the use of building materials with recycled content. For example, the acoustic insulation
is manufactured from 100% recycled wool scraps and the cement has 75% recycled content. The building was constructed in
accordance with a waste management plan, drawn up in conjunction with the Christchurch City Council Target Zero Waste team, to
reduce the amount of waste created during the construction process.
Site ecology. Planted drainage swales and retention ponds help to slow down the speed of storm water leaving the site, while at the
same time filtering out pollutants such as petrol and diesel residues from roads and carparks. The overall design has been responsive
to the topography and ecology - minimising earth movement and the removal of trees. (Warren)
New Brighton Library, Christchurch – New Zealand 1999
Awards:
2000 NZIA Local Award Community & Cultural, NZIA Architecture Award Community & Cultural
1999 NZIA Local Award, NZIA Colour Award
The brief for this project was to develop an icon for New Brighton with its underutilised foreshore. The Christchurch City Council
had committed to construct a new 300m pier in conjunction with local community interests, and a terminus building housing a
library and cafes was required to complete the complex.
The library is a ‘new generation,’ highly interactive, highly accessible and socially appropriate structure which acts as a centre for
the community.
Numerous constraints needed to be overcome such as constructing a public building effectively on the beach. This meant that special
erosion and tsunami conditions needed to be carefully considered. Particularly harsh environmental conditions meant that airconditioning
was required, however, though the use of roof overhangs to the north, Teflon sunshades to the west façade and high
performance glazing, the energy loads were effectively managed.
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