Library Buildings around the World

John Spoor Broome Library, California State University Channel Islands, Camarillo, CA - USA
2008
Client: California State University, Consultants: Arup , Davis Langdon & Everest , Arup , Calvin R Abe Associates Inc,
Claude R Engle, Boyle Enginerring
The focus of the reinvented Camarillo State Hospital into the 23rd California State University campus, the new library
serves as the intellectual and architectural centerpiece, establishing the character and quality of future projects. The brief
called for a building that “would become a dynamic crossroads for students, faculty and community members who seek to
research, study and explore the vastness of knowledge that a library provides. It stands as a source of university and
community pride.” The campus masterplan acknowledged the balance between preserving the existing historical buildings
while providing the functional needs of a contemporary academic library.
Noted for its collection of Spanish Colonial structures built between the 1930s and 1950s, the former hospital consists of two
and three storey structures, organised around a series of eight outdoor courtyards. The selective removal of the central
hospital wings has fused four of the courtyards into a single site for the new library, which abuts an existing 1950s Spanish
style building. The transparency of the building showcases the book stacks, while deeper inside, the former exterior wall of
the old structure becomes visible as a backdrop for the new library stacks. Reading rooms, classrooms, and offices are
located beyond within the renovated existing building.
Characterised by a sense of light and transparency, there is a dynamic play of natural light throughout the two-storey
library. The prominent roof canopy responds to both functional as well as symbolic requirements. It is the primary element
in linking the library to the rest of the campus and provides a unifying architectural statement. Engineered as a lightweight
trussed steel structure supported on circular hollow steel columns it is critical as an environmental device to provide
effective sun control to the surrounding accommodation and the louvered canopy casts shadows across the entry plaza that
change throughout the day. Glazed roof panels and elevated windows flood the interior with natural light and a central
double-height space provides a dramatic social focus. (Foster)
Free University, Berlin - Germany 1997 – 2005
Client: Senatsverwaltung fur Stadtentwicklung, User - Freie Universität Berlin, Consultants: Pichler Ingenieure, Höhler und
Partner, Schmidt Reuter Partners / PIN Ingenieure, Buro Langkau Arnsberg, Buro Moll, Buro Noack, Kappes Scholz, Büro
Peters, Hosser Hass und Partner, IFFT Karlotto Schott
Literature:
Rostende Ikone, Spiegel 12/1977, 14.03.1977 (http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-40941892.html)
Since the end of World War II the Free University has occupied a central role in the intellectual life of Berlin. As one of the
citys most symbolically important institutions, its foundation marked the rebirth of liberal education there after the war.
Today, with more than 39,000 students, it is the largest of Berlins three universities. This redevelopment scheme includes the
restoration of its Modernist buildings and the design of a new library on the campus.
The Universitys matlike campus was designed by Candilis Josic Woods Schiedhelm, and when the first phase was
completed in 1973 it was hailed as a milestone in university design. The facade was designed in collaboration with Jean
Prouv, following Le Corbusiers Modulor proportional system. It was fabricated from Corten steel, which when used in
appropriate thicknesses, has selfprotecting corrosive characteristics. The rusty appearance of these buildings led to the
affectionate nickname of die Rostlaube - the rustbucket. However, in the slender sections used by Prouv the steel was prone
to decay, which by the late 1990s had become extensive. As part of a comprehensive process of renewal the old cladding has
been replaced with a new system detailed in bronze, which as it patinates with age emulates the details and colour tones of
the original.
The new library for the Faculty of Philology occupies a site created by uniting six of the Universitys courtyards. Its four
floors are contained within a naturally ventilated, bubble-like enclosure, which is clad in aluminium and glazed panels and
supported on steel frames with a radial geometry. An inner membrane of translucent glass fibre filters the daylight and
creates an atmosphere of concentration, while scattered transparent openings allow momentary views of the sky and
glimpses of sunlight. The bookstacks are located at the centre of each floor, with reading desks arranged around the
perimeter. The serpentine profile of the floors creates an edge pattern in which each floor swells or recedes with respect to
the one above or below it, generating a sequence of generous, light-filled spaces in which to work. Amusingly, the librarys
cranial form has already earned it a nickname of its own The Berlin Brain. (Foster)
Médiatèque Nimes – Carré d´Art, Nimes – France 1993
Client: Ville de Nimes, Consultants: Ove Arup and Partners / OTH Mediterranee, Thorne Wheatley Associates, OTH
Mechanical, Claude R Engle, Daniel Commins, Jolyon Drury Consultancy
Mediathques exist in most French towns and cities. Typically they embrace magazines, newspapers and books as well as
music, video and cinema. Less common is the inclusion of a gallery for painting and sculpture. In Nimes, the interaction
within the same building of these two cultures - the visual arts and the world of information technology held the promise of a
richer totality. The urban context of Nimes also acted as a powerful influence. The site faces the Maison Carré, a perfectly
preserved Roman temple. The challenge was to relate new to the old, but at the same time to create a building that
represented its own age with integrity.
A singular modern building, yet one that references the courtyard and terraced vernacular of the region, the Carré dArt is
articulated as a nine-storey structure, half of which is sunk deep into the ground, keeping the buildings profile low in
sympathy to the scale of the surrounding buildings. The lower levels house archive storage and a cinema, while above a
roofed courtyard forms the heart of the building, exploiting the transparency and lightness of modern materials to allow
natural light to permeate all floors. These upper levels are connected by a cascading staircase, linking the toplit galleries to
the shaded roof-terrace caf overlooking a new public square.
The creation of this urban space was an integral part of the project. Railings, advertising boards and parking spaces were
removed and the square in front of the building was extended as a pedestrianised realm. The geometry of this piazza follows
Nimes Roman grid in recreating tree-lined streets alongside the building and providing a new setting for the Maison Carré.
Lined with caf tables and thronged with people, the new square has reinvigorated the social and cultural life of Nmes.
Together with these urban interventions, the Carré d'Art shows how a building project, backed by an enlightened political
initiative, can not only encourage a dialogue between ancient and modern architectures but can also provide a powerful
catalyst for reinvigorating the social and physical fabric of a city. (Foster)
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