Library Buildings around the World

townhouses (“36” and “38”) allows significant expansion. More than doubling the space available for its programs, the new facility
reinforces the BGC’s identify as a leading graduate research institution for the study of decorative arts, design history, and material
culture. Achieving a principal goal of the renovation to fully integrate the library program and teaching spaces, library collections
are distributed throughout the floors. A new lower-level study, conveniently situated near expanded stacks, offers quiet views onto a
landscaped rear yard. Other more informal seating areas provide a variety of study and meeting spaces in addition to the existing
second floor reading room. The academic facilities also include additional classroom and seminar spaces, as well as faculty offices
and student lounge areas. The addition of a modern teaching media laboratory and conference center will afford the BGC the
opportunity to accommodate expanded curriculum and to meet the needs of the institution as it takes its place among the preeminent
centers for research in material culture. The entry sequence defined in the first phase is retained in the combined building but
enhanced: the lobby on the first floor of the 38 building is unified with the adjacent space in the 36 building, which is transformed
into a state-of-the-art lecture/public programs facility. A large opening from the lobby provides views into a rich, wood-paneled
room with gently curved recesses lined with a horizontal wood screening that accommodates lighting, air outlets and acoustical
material. The lobby also serves as a connector to the existing lecture hall and general building circulation. Taking advantage of the
expanded floor plate and providing seamless transitions, openings in the original structural party wall connect the two buildings on
all floors. A vertical maple-clad plane extending from the lobby to the upper floors references the original demarcation of the two
buildings, acknowledges their domestic scale and organizes vertical circulation between floors. Two new communicating stairs – a
dramatic steel and glass stair connecting the two primary library floors and a natural wood and steel stair connecting the two floors
that house the Center’s faculty and staff – augment existing circulation. Large expanses of glass and new exterior terraces link
interior and exterior, expanding the building perceptually. Open spaces extending north/south through the building and
doubleheight spaces take advantage of natural light to choreograph movement. The careful insertion of the expanded structure into
this historic framework has transformed the interiors into an open, light-filled public environment. With new and renovated facades,
the building reinforces its presence as a vital civic institution within the urban fabric of the city. Physical Description:
Approximately 17,000sf (net) in the combined facility,
(http://www.bgc.bard.edu)
Mashantucket Pequot Museum and Research Center, Mashantucket, CT – USA 1998
(http://www.modernsteel.com/Uploads/Issues/March_2000/0003_06_mashantucket.pdf)
Queens Borough Public Library, Flushing Regional Branch, Queens, NY – USA 1998
(http://www.polshek.com/lib_queens.htm)
The Queens Borough Public Library, located on a trainagular site the intersection of Kissena Boulevard and Main Street, is the
largest branch library in New York City. The current building, designed by Polshek Partnership Architects, is the third to be built
on the site--the first was a gift of Andrew Carnegie. Metaphorically, the transparent façade, which faces a commercial thoroughfare,
advertises learning: the glass membrane allows the facility's collections and functional organization to be visually accessible from the
street. The opposite façade is rendered with stone, its articulation alluding to the book stacks within and its opacity allowing
perimeter shelving to be maximized. Other program spaces include: a 227-seat auditorium, a multi-purpose room for 150,
conference rooms, exhibition areas, an Adult Learning Center and an International Resource Center. The Queens Borough Public
Library, or Queens Library, as it refers to itself today, is the public library for the Borough of Queens and one of three library
systems serving New York City, comprising some 63 branches throughout the borough. Since 1994, it has had high annual
circulation, and it is the second largest library in the country in terms of the size of its collection. The first library in Queens was
founded here, in Flushing, in 1858 as a subscription service. It became a free circulation library in 1869. In 1901, shortly after the
consolidation of Queens into New York City, the city government proposed a new charter joining all libraries in Queens into the
Queens Borough Public Library. All of the public libraries signed on, except for Flushing, which remained independent until 1903.
http://wiki.worldflicks.org/queens_public_library_-_flushing.html
Columbia University Law School, Jerome L. Greene Hall, New York, NY – USA 1996
Eskew+Dumez+Ripple, New Orleans, LA – USA
http://www.eskewdumezripple.com
Libraries:
Rosa Keller Library, New Orleans, LA – USA 2012
Location: New Orleans, LAMap This Location, Size: 10,000 square feet, Year of Completion: 2012
Awards:
2013 AIA New Orleans Honor Award
2012 IIDA Delta Region Award of Excellence
Literature:
Associated Press & Publications:
Metropolis, July 2012
This New Orleans neighborhood library is comprised of two buildings joined together with the intention that they function as a
whole. One building is a historically significant bungalow built as a residence in 1917, sited prominently on the corner of South
Broad Street and Napoleon Avenue. The other building, built in 1993 specifically to function as a library, was home to the main
reading room and stock areas. Both buildings were severely flooded by levee breaks attributed to Hurricane Katrina. The bungalow
was salvaged and raised for future flood prevention, but the modern addition was deemed necessary for replacement by the Federal
Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).
The new 10,000 square foot combined library and community center serves the Broadmoor community by providing residents with
an innovative 21st century library, community center, gathering space, and valuable educational resource. A visually open
connection is maintained between the Historic House and Library Addition in order to create spatial relief as the two buildings
touch. This “spine” allows for a clear line of sight to the playground across Broad Street and provides a clear entry sequence into the
library. The new addition primarily houses book shelving, computer stations, and other core elements of the library function, while
the historic house operates primarily as the community meeting center and home to a small café. 27.06.12 Archdaily
(http://www.archdaily.com)
This New Orleans neighborhood library is comprised of two buildings joined together with the intention that they function as a
whole. One building is a historically significant bungalow built as a residence in 1917, sited prominently on the corner of South
Broad Street and Napoleon Avenue. The other building, built in 1993 specifically to function as a library, was home to the main
reading room and stock areas. Both buildings were severely flooded by levee breaks attributed to Hurricane Katrina. The bungalow
was salvaged and raised for future flood prevention, but the modern addition was deemed necessary for replacement by the Federal
Emergency Management Administration (FEMA).
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