Library Buildings around the World

attracts the eye without using the commercial signs associated with strip shopping. The building incorporates indirect daylight and
clerestories to bring natural, protected daylight into the stack and reading areas. (Dekker)
designLAB architecture, Boston – USA
http://www.designlabarch.com
Libraries:
Grosse Pointe Public Library, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI – USA on design
The Grosse Pointe Public Library in Grosse Pointe Farms in Michigan is an exemplary work of modern architecture, designed by
renown 20 th Century architect, Marcel Breuer. The library constructed in 1953, with its 17.000 Sqf. distributed on two stories
enclosed in an unadomed, simple, brick facade and exposed steel elements, is the only Breuer building in the Detroit, Michigan
region. designLAB architects, the winner of an international design charrette organized by the libray Foundation to save the
structure, has created a restauration and addition scheme for the Breuer libary that will allow th GP library board to move forward
with plans to keep the Modern treasure while still fulfilling their current & future needs. This project will set a precedent for the
future of other modernist structures at risk of being destroyed. (designLAB)
by John Gallagher
It looks as though a library designed by Marcel Breuer in Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan, will be spared the wrecking ball. The
local community library board met last night to evaluate an expansion plan designed by Boston-based designLAB architects. The
scheme retains the original, 1953-vintage building and doubles its space with a sympathetic, Breuer-inspired addition. Although the
board is not scheduled to vote on the scheme until October 22, momentum has decisively shifted away from an earlier push to
demolish Breuer’s only Detroit-area building. Breuer was already famous for his furniture and residential designs by the early ’50s
when he crafted the library. It is a small but elegant structure, two stories tall, with a front facade of unadorned brick that echoes
traditional building materials in Grosse Pointe. Generous fenestration allows daylight into a double-height main reading room that
features exposed structural elements and beams. Members of the library board had recently complained that the 17,000-square-foot
structure lacked adequate space for administration, computers, and children’s activities—prompting discussions last year about
whether or not it should be razed in favor of an all-new facility. But when Laura Bartell, the then-president of the board, stated
publicly that Breuer’s building was “pretty undistinguished’ and not worth preserving, her remarks prompted a flood of e-mails and
local protests. The library hired designLAB in June to develop a scheme for saving the building. Robert Miklos and his team from
designLAB propose adding onto the rear of the current building in what is now a parking lot, creating something of a mirror image
of Breuer’s structure. The new space would include an interior courtyard, a gesture that Breuer included in many of his houses but
didn’t have room for in the original library. The children’s reading area will be four times the size it is now, and there will be
expansive space for computers and administration. A new underground garage will relieve parking problems. In presenting this
scheme to the community last week, Scott Slarsky of designLAB explained that his firm conducted extensive research in Breuer’s
archive at Syracuse University, trying to imagine how the celebrated architect would approach the project. He described the attempt
to channel Breuer’s spirit and signature style as “séance architecture.” Assuming that the library board approves designLAB’s
scheme later this month, it must next seek municipal approval and raise the $24 million necessary for construction. Groundbreaking
could occur in the spring of 2009. (http://archrecord.construction.com )
Skillmann Library, Lafayette College, Easton, PA – USA 2005
Situated at the center of the pastoral Lafayette College campus this building was reconceived as a “studio for learning” rather than a
traditional library. The original 1960´s era Skillman Library presented uninviting concrete walls to the campus green. The challenge
of the $ 17.5 M project was to convert this existing library into an inviting landmark that would serve as an intellectual and social
protagonist of campus life. The 110.000 sqf. addition and renovation project provides a café, formal and casual reading /information/
meeting areas, group study rooms, classrooms. Computer and media labs and an art gallery. Students work collaboratively in this
open environment with learning resources that are convenient to work spaces. As a result, the library has becomethe most popular
place on campus for both serious study and casual student gatherings. In 2006, the building was awarded the AIA National Honor
Award for Interioar Architecture, as well as two AIA chapter awards.
Robert J. Miklos FAIA design principal, Whitney M. Hudson and Scott Slarsky project designers while at Ann Beha Architects.
see also: Ann Beha
Dewberry, Fairfax, VA – USA
http://www.dewberry.com
A library is one of the most significant buildings within a community. Every library is different and unique, and deserves an image
reflective of the community's image and goals. Library design offers the challenge of accommodating high and varied usage types,
meeting the expectations of the community, and anticipating future technologies while being good stewards of the environment. The
new library must provide something and someplace for everyone; it is the "Third Place" within the community. PSA-Dewberry is a
library specialist, having completed over 220 libraries across the country. The library team is made up of LEED Accredited
Professionals providing pre-design, planning, building design, interior design and thematic interiors for new construction,
renovation/expansion and reimaging of existing facilities for clients throughout the country.
Libraries:
Renner Academic Library and Learning Resources, Elgin Community College, Elgin IL – USA 2012
Project Costs: $21.5 million, Architect: Dewberry, Engineers: MEP/FP-KJWW Engineering, Interiors: Dewberry, Construction:
IHC Construction
Standing in the beautiful Renner Academic Library and Learning Resources at Elgin Community College (ECC), it’s hard to
imagine that the college’s old library was so small that three of them would fit inside the new facility. But that was something ECC
officials became all too aware of after the former library was cited as “unsatisfactory for students’ needs” during a 2006
accreditation visit by the Higher Learning Commission. That library, which opened in 1970 as part of the then new Elgin
Community College campus, was designed to serve several thousand students, not the more than eleven thousand that were using
the undersized facility more than thirty-five years later. “While our students were receiving high quality service from our librarians
and staff, our library space wasn’t providing an appropriate learning environment,” says ECC President David Sam. “It was time
for a change, and that’s why we made a new library a top priority.” Voters agreed, approving the $178 million referendum in April
2009, which included $26 million for the new library.
Construction began in March 2010 and the new facility opened in January 2012. The overall project cost $21.5 million, coming
in $4.5 million under budget. Named for the college’s first president, Gilbert I. Renner, the Renner Academic Library and
Learning Resources is a 57,000-square-foot marvel of practical, convenient learning spaces, tasteful architecture, and thoughtful
sustainable elements.
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