Library Buildings around the World

food and beverage outlets. The building layout connects at several locations on three levels to outdoor passive and
competitive activities. The building is designed to harmonize with the strong natural landscape incorporating natural
materials such as zinc cladding, Wiarton limestone, clay brick and Douglas Fir heavy timber and glulam. The massing of the
building similarly utilizes the topography of the site to partially bury the large bulky volumes of the arena, while showcasing
the more animated volumes such as the pool and library. Large sweeping roofs above the pool and arena create a strong
design theme, replicating the undulations of the site. (Perkins)
Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, Eagle’s Perch Campus, Merritt, BC - Canada 2001
sqf. 48,631
Awards:
Excellence in Architecture/Honor Award, 2005, AIA Committee on Education and Society for College and University
Planning
High Performance Building Award, 2005, Canadian Wood Council
Excellence in Architecture, 2004, Governor General Award
Design Award, 2002, International Green Building Challenge
This institute is one of the first facilities in Canada shared by native and non-native students. Phase I of the 43-acre campus
master plan is a semi-circular plan that will ultimately evolve into a circle, a shape chosen for its deep significance to native
cultures. The building is symbolically oriented to the four cardinal points with the main entry at the east axis facing the rising
sun. The design process involved intensive user group interaction and many site visits with native elders resulting in learning
spaces that support traditional First Nations' culture and foster student success. Spaces are functionally organized to
eliminate any sense of hierarchy. Program elements include classrooms, faculty offices, social spaces, laboratories, a
bookstore, cafeteria and library. The building is designed to grow out of the landscape with minimal disruption to the
surrounding area. Its wood column structure visually recalls native pithouses with poles rising up through the interior space.
As a cold climate green building, it reflects traditional aboriginal structures and values. A glazed ventilation stack with
operable windows creates airflow patterns that ventilate the building naturally. Tensioned fabric, a reference to ‘stretched
skins’ in aboriginal design, is used for shading and for the front entrance canopy. (Perkins)
Perry Dean Rogers Partners Architects, Boston, MA – USA
http://www.perrydean.com
Libraries:
National Library of Medicine. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD – USA (on design) on hold
pending congessional funding
The National Library of Medicine addition nearly doubles the footprint of the existing Library and provides three distinct new
programs: subterranean book storage; office / research space for the growing number of employees whose work is computer-based;
and a series of public spaces including conference facilities and space for medical exhibitions. Together with a comprehensive
reorganization of existing space, the addition provides the Library with a sophisticated facility appropriate for current and future
work, and reflective of its global significance. Sustainability: Solar gain and glare are not acceptable for computer-intensive research
environments such as the National Library of Medicine so the building form and envelope respond accordingly. Aserrated western
façade selectively captures diffuse north light and a double-layered eastern façade acts as a climate buffer while providing flexible
program space. Roof gardens and terraces cascade down the south façade, providing outdoor spaces for inhabitants of this highsecurity
building. Project Type: Addition and Renovation, Size: Existing: 332,500 gsf, New 194,500 gsf, Construction Cost:
$133,000,000 (estimate), Completion Date: On hold pending congressional funding. (Perry)
Miller Library Washington College, Chestertown, MD – USA 2012
Project Type: Addition and Renovation, Size: Existing 40,000 gsf, New 10,000 gsf, Construction Cost: $16,500,000 (estimate)
Completion Date: In predesign phase, anticipated completion 2011.
Miller Library sits at the heart of campus, tucked between the contemplative and historic College Green and the bustling hardscape
of Martha Washington Square, a principal gathering place for student activities. The proposed design links and streamlines these
exterior spaces, and introduces an addition whose materials and forms reflect and reinterpret the character of existing campus
structures. New program includes group study rooms, an academic skills center, staff offices and a café. Sustainability: Transferring
a portion of the library collection to compact shelving reduces square footage requirements and minimizes new construction. The
streamlined addition sits to the north of the existing library and funnels diffuse north light to the interior through a large expanse of
glazing. East and west facades incorporate louvers to prevent direct solar gain. Interior spaces use demountable partition systems for
long-term flexibility. (Perry)
Massachusetts Maritime Academy, The American Bureau of Shipping Information Communs, Buzzards
Bay, MA – USA 2011
43,000 GSF NEW CONSTRUCTION, LEED PLATINUM TARGET, Client THE AMERICAN BUREAU OF SHIPPING
INFORMATION COMMONS
This new library integrates a rich program of study, training, and research spaces, in a cutting-edge building that is targeting LEED
Platinum Certifi cation. Perry Dean was commissioned to program, evaluate, and create the conceptual design for the re-use or
replacement of the existing Hurley Library, and provide the Academy with a facility that enhanced learning and research. Following
the programming phase, we conducted extensive campus planning and existing building evaluations, which concluded that a
new library was required and that the existing building can be successfully renovated to support other academic and student
services programs. The program is dispersed on two principal fl oors with high ceilings and extensive views of the campus, the
Academy’s training ship, and the Cape Cod Canal beyond. On the lower ‘deck’ is an open plan learning commons with studentcentered
flexible furniture to foster collaborative and social learning. On the upper ‘deck’ is the Academic Resource Center with fl
exible, technology-rich learning spaces. It includes academic advising, learning resources, a writing center, multimedia classrooms,
study rooms and instruction labs. A ship bridge simulator (essential to the Academy’s mission) and a smart classroom
form a cylindrical object that runs through both of these spaces. The Academy’s traditional library collections and library offi ces
are stacked on the north side of the building with views to Buttermilk Bay. A new plaza was created, connecting the new
library, the old library, the nearby dining hall, and residence halls. (Perry)
St. George’s School Hill Library Addition & Renovation, Middletown, RI – USA 2011
Targeted LEED Gold, Addition: 5,200 GSF, Renovation: 16,700 GSF, Construciton Cost: $6.4m, Completion: August 2011
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