Library Buildings around the World

Council (USGBC). The USGBC has four certification levels (Certified, Silver, Gold, Platinum) awarded according to achievement as
evaluated by points using the LEED scorecard. The new Sorensen Library will meet the LEED Silver standard.
(http://www.colapublib.org)
Canoga Park Library, CA, County of Los Angeles Public Library – USA 2004
14.500 sqf., € 4.443.000
Located amid strip malls and fast food joints on a busy thoroughfare in the San Fernando Valley, the Canoga Park Branch Library
is one of the only civic buildings in this Los Angeles neighborhood. Boldly defined by a round auditorium at one end, the library
provides a welcome contrast to the surrounding exurban architectural banality. Carde • Ten Architects located it directly on the
street, confining parking to the rear of the property: another welcome departure in this automobile-centric city. Adhering strictly to
the client’s program, the architects placed all of the library’s functions in one room that a small staff of librarians can easily monitor
from a central reference desk. Only a single row of columns, running down the building’s center, interrupts this open space. Each
column, which contains conduits for pipes, supports four steel girders that extend outward to the building’s walls. At the walls, the
girders are bound together by stainless–steel cables that span the roof and then are anchored to the ground with steel rods and
concrete. This support system, developed by Carde • Ten′s Erik Mar for his thesis project at MIT, carries all vertical loads: freeing
the walls from this burden and allowing for an uninterrupted band of windows around the building. The generous band of
fenestration, which floods interior spaces with daylight, is one of the library′s many eco-friendly features. Roof girders are tapered at
an angle that optimizes solar exposure for a series of photovoltaic panels. Solar cells on the south–facing roof eave do double duty,
generating electricity and helping to reduce the solar load. The entire photovoltaic system generates roughly 35,700 kilowatt hours of
electricity per year. Inside the library, the architects were also mindful of sustainability concerns when they located program
elements. The main reading area, for instance, occupies the north side of the building, where glazing admits soft northern light that
requires less filtering. Elsewhere in the library, the architects added adjustable louvers along the windows to protect the book stacks
from overexposure to light. Other ecofriendly features include bamboo flooring, chosen because it is a renewable low-impact
resource, and drought–tolerant landscaping. ( http://archrecord.construcion.com )
Chinatown Library, CA, County of Los Angeles Public Library – USA 2003
12.500 sqf., € 3.762.000
This is the third most active of the City’'s 75 branches. It serves as one of the gateways to the Chinatown community. The design
blends ancient Chinese building traditions with a forward-looking style. (Carde)
Cardwell Architects, Seattle, WA – USA
http://www.cardwellarchitects.com
Libraries:
Corvallis Public Library, OR – USA 2009
The City of Corvallis selected Cardwell Architects to design its new main branch library. The project involved the restoration and
addition to the historic 1931 library building, designed by Pietro Belluschi. Additions were made to the original library in 1965,
wrapping the north and east elevations of the original building. The program called for the expansion of the library to 57,000 square
feet. The goal was to design a library that was inviting, easily understood by the library patron, efficiently staffed, and
accommodating future growth and technoogy. (Cardwell)
Suzzallo and Allen Libraries, University of Washington, WA – USA 2002
The Univerity of Washington selected Cardwell Architects in association with Mahlum Architects to renovate and restore the
325,000 square foot main campus library for the University of Washington. The architects worked with the university to prepare a
predesign study, which developed the project scope and budget. Cardwell Architects worked with the library staff and the university
to write the building program and to develop a strategy for phasing the project. The work involved the restoration and renovation of
the three oldest parts of the library including the historic library and reading room. (Cardwell)
( see also: Mahlum Architects )
Anacortes Public Library,WA – USA 2003
The new 28,000 square foot library is built on the site of the former library in downtown Anacortes. The two-story building
emphasizes openness and flexibility and features high, indirect clerestory windows that bathe the interior with diffused natural light.
The siting of the library and juxtaposition of building forms define the program elements and give clarity to the building plan.
(Cardwell)
Carlsbad City Library, CA – USA 1999
The City of Carlsbad selected Cardwell Architects to design its new 64,000 square foot library, which features a 200-seat auditorium
and a community art gallery, organized by a colonnaded entry courtyard. The two-story library features a main hall that focuses
public services, gives clarity to circulation and organizes the collections. From this central space, a sequence of spaces transition
from public gathering areas to smaller spaces for group and individual study. (Cardwell)
Holman Library Green River Community College, WA – USA 1997
Holman Library at Green River Community College is a new 60,000 square foot information technology center, incorportating the
campus library, media production and distribution facilities, and computer instruction labs. Library services are focused on the
second floor information Commons, an electronic reference and a curriculum resource center with more than 120 networked
workstations. The facility represents the college's first phase of implementation of the Washington State Communications
Technology Center master plan for fiber-optic intercampus and remote-site educational information distribution. (Cardwell)
Everett Public Library, WA – USA 1991
Everett Public Library selected Cardwell Architects to restore and design a major addition to its historic downtown library. The
design includes historic restoration of the existing building and an addition that is both sensitive and complementary to the
architectural character of the original building, while expanding the library to 52,000 square feet. The new design removed the bulk
of an addition done in 1965. The original entrance and historic lobby have been restored and are the focal point of the library. The
new addition builds upon the diagram of the original library, giving clarity to circulation and the organization of the collections.
(Cardwell)
Carrier Johnson, San Diego CA – USA
http://www.carrierjohnson.com
Libraries :
City of Goodyear, Community Center and Library, City of Goodyear, AZ – USA 2011 / 2012
Goodyear conducted a worldwide competition to find the right private company to partner with the City to develop its future focal
point. The winning proposal was submitted by the team of Lankford & Associates, Inc. of San Diego, Carrier Johnson, Phelps
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