Library Buildings around the World

Baldwin Public Library, Baldwin, NY – USA 2005
design phase with Luella Noles
Awards:
2007 AIA Westchester / Mid-Hudson Chapter Design Awards: “Archi” Award Commendation for Recognition of Architectural
Excellence – The Baldwin Public Library Expansion
The existing community public library, in Nassau County on Long Island´s south shore, had by the late 1990´s completely outgrown
its space in the original 1960´s structure and 1980´s expansion. After
Montauk Public Library, Montauk, NY – USA 1992
( original building design with Susana Torre)
Awards:
1999 AIA Westchester / Mid-Hudson Chapter Design Awards: Honor Award – Montauk Library Meeting Room
Montauk´s new public library is housed in a 10.000 sqf. building on asloping site at the east edge of the village. The main building
volume is adouble
Ann Beha Architects, Boston, MA – USA
http://www.annbeha.com
Libraries:
The Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA – USA
Master Plan – Completet 2010
The Huntington, located on 220 acres outside Los Angeles, welcomes 600,000 visitors a year to its outstanding library, art, and
botanical collections. Ann Beha Architects created a Master Plan for The Huntington which serves as a blueprint for its future
preservation and development, for buildings and landscape. The Master Plan sets strategic objectives to guide long term planning,
expansion, and increased public access and services for scholars and the community.
Cambridge Public Library, Cambridge, MA – USA 2009
The Cambridge Public Library, designed in 1887 by Van Brunt & Howe in the H.H. Richardson inspired Romanesque style, is listed
on the National Register of Historic Places. ABA partnered with William Rawn Associates to complete the renovation, restoration
and major expansion of the Landmark Library. The historic building has been restored and energized and includes a 70,000 sf
addition that maximizes views of the historic building while minimizing impact on the neighborhood park. A 1957 addition to the
Library’s west elevation resulted in the original granite and intricately carved brownstone details being covered or destroyed. In an
effort to restore the building’s unique details, ABA performed extensive research and conducted testing to identify original
materials. The entire historic building has been restored and includes the information commons in the original delivery room and
Young Adults in a reconfigured stack space. This project is designed to achieve LEED Certification. This project received a 2010
Massachusetts Historical Commission Preservation Award; a 2010 Integrated Design / Integrated Development (IDID) Excellence in
Sustainable Design Award; a 2010 Interior Design / Interior Architecture Award from the Boston Society of Architects; and a 2010
Aon Build America Award from the Associated General Contractors of America. (Beha)
Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, MA – USA 2009
The Massachusetts Historical Society encompasses millions of rare and unique documents and artifacts vital to the study of
American History. The four-phase renovation of this distinguished library and landmark accommodates new seminar, reference,
and exhibition spaces, expanded publication offices and collections storage. ABA's design work has increased public programming,
improved protection for collections, and refreshed the interiors which expand the Society's programs and introduce new technology.
(Beha)
Crandall Public Library, Glen Falla, NY – USA 2008
ABA designed the renovation and expansion of the Crandall Public Library, a 1930’s Charles Platt building listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. The $18M project expands the existing landmark building and creates a social and interactive facility
serving three communities as the Central Reference Library for the Southern Adirondack Library System. Located on the City’s
main street, with one side facing a city park, the design creates an inviting and open entrance on the street side, and outdoor seating
and recreational space on the park side. The new 52,000sf library includes a large multi-purpose community room, café-style
browsing area, Center for Folklife, a new children’s space triple the former size, and state-of-the-art technology throughout. This
project received a 2008 Outstanding Building Award from the New York Library Association. (Beha)
Needham Public Library, Needham, MA – USA 2006
ABA designed a contemporary 40,000 SF addition to the Needham Public Library’s existing 8,000 SF Georgian Revival style
building, originally constructed in 1915. To minimize the difference in scale, the addition was divided into components that match
the scale and proportions of the existing building. The new wing is clad in marble, slate, and brick like the historic building, while
introducing large areas of glass that provide greater views, openness, visibility and natural lighting. The interior design was inspired
by the scenes of the Library’s unique collection of fourteen N.C. Wyeth paintings. This continuity of forms makes clear the transition
within the library from past to present and future, and acts to bind both tradition and vision within the same structure. The
Needham Public Library building is LEED Certified. (Beha)
University of Pennsylvania, David B. Weigle Information Commons at the van Pelt-Dietrich
Library, Philadelphia, PA – USA 2006
Project Size: 7,000 sf
A joint undertaking of the School of Arts and Sciences, the Office of the Provost, the Penn Library, and ABA, the Weigle
Information Commons offers students an innovative, technology-rich venue for collaborative study and learning. With seating for
close to two hundred students, the 7,000 square foot Commons offers a choice of group study settings ranging from private study
rooms, to café-like booths, to flexible open spaces. A digital media lab provides training and equipment for video, audio, imaging,
and web publishing design, while a 25-seat seminar room is a setting for students to practice their presentation skills. (Beha)
An innovative, technology-rich venue for collaborative study and learning, the Weigle Information Commons is located on the first
floor of the University’s Van Pelt-Dietrich Library. The Commons provides seating for 200 students and offers a variety of group
study spaces, a digital media lab, and a seminar room for students to practice presentation skills. This flexible venue is also used by
students seeking faculty advice on writing skills and for tutoring sessions. ABA worked with the existing modernist aesthetic of the
Library, transforming a dark and uninviting space into what is now one of the most popular student destinations on campus.
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