Library Buildings around the World

Scope of Services: St. George’s School approached Perry Dean Rogers to design an addition to the existing library with the goal of
providing students with a new facility that will prepare them for college-style learning. The project was defined by this important
mission, which translated into spaces programmed for active, collaborative learning.
The addition includes a new entrance and multi-purpose teaching space that reorients the Hill Library towards a student-centered
hub which includes the Arts Building, the Student Center, and Dining. A transparent, three-story volume is introduced, defining a
new entry and bringing light down into the ground floor level. The renovation opens up the interior with an open-plan service desk,
group study rooms and light-filled, technology-rich learning spaces.
Indoor environmental quality is improved by increasing natural light with new skylights and enlarged existing openings. Thermal
performance of the existing exterior brick constructed facade is greatly augmented with a new interior wall system filled with spray
foam insulation. Similarly, roof replacement with regional slate shingles allows added insulation, ensuring an overall weathertightness
of the exterior envelope. Finally, mechanical systems will be upgraded for optimized performance.
“The St. George’s library serves as a vital center of campus intellectual life. It supports our academic programs by providing
outstanding services, resources, and facilities for research and study.”, Mission Statement. (Perry)
Daemen College, Center for Information, Research and Community Programms, Amherst, NY – USA
2009
Size: 49,000 GSF new construction, 2,000 GSF Renovation, Cost: $13.4m, Completion: 2009
Awards:
2010 AIA New England Award for Design Excellence
The Center for Information, Research and Community Programs gives Daemen College a prominent public face by maximizing
street frontage and using a bold expanse of curtain wall to frame student activity within. A24-hour, multi-story Information
Commons forms the core of the new structure, joining traditional and high tech research facilities to become a major campus
destination. The building also provides the largely commuter population with spaces – including a lobby, café and group study
rooms – for social interaction. Sustainability: Acentral light well spans the full height of the Library, drawing natural light into the
heart of the plan. Selective glazing on north, east and west facades lights perimeter classrooms and offices, and a fully-glazed
southern façade lights public study spaces. Vermont slate shingle is a sustainable cladding choice because it is regional and durable.
The building interior uses a raised floor system that allows for long-term flexibility of building systems and technology
infrastructure. This project is working toward LEEDGold. Project Type: Addition and Renovation. Size: Existing: 12,185 GSF
New 48,944 GSF, Construction Cost: $13,350,755 (estimate), Completion Date: 2009 (under construction) (Perry)
Clark University, Goddard Library, Worcester, MA – USA 2009
Goddard Library, an award-wining structure designed in 1966 by John Johansen, presents the challenge of introducing new
programmatic, technological and space requirements to a historically significant structure without damaging its original character.
The addition and renovation remain respectful by capturing an existing but under-used exterior plaza to house a 24-hour
information commons, and locating additional program – group study spaces and a faculty teaching center – on the existing second
level. Materials are clearly contemporary, providing an engaging dialogue between old and new. Sustainability: Conscious of the
effort, cost, and energy required to modify the cast-in-place mass of the existing library, the design proposes to reuse existing space
rather than to introduce new construction. An underused two story plaza tucked under the library becomes a new information
commons when enclosed and reworked. This creative and unexpected approach is cost-effective and contextually sensitive as well as
environmentally sustainable. Project Type: Addition and Renovation, Size: Existing: 93,000 GSF, New 13,000 GSF, Construction
Cost: $12,000,000 (estimate) Completion: 2009 (Perry)
Frank and Laura Lewis Library, Lagrange College, LaGrange, GA - USA 2008
The Frank and Laura Lewis Library sits atop the College’s historic Hill Campus where it shapes significant new exterior spaces: a
plaza at the main entrance and a quadrangle connecting the Hill Campus to existing buildings to the south. The program reflects an
increased interrelationship between library collections, media, and campus-wide computing services but at the same time emphasizes
the building’s role as an important campus “place”. Strong inside / outside relationships, interconnected interior spaces, and copious
natural lighting reflect a contemporary design approach. Sustainability: Extensive daylighting – achieved with a series of northfacing
roof monitors and exterior wall glazing – dramatically reduces the Library’s electrical load. Overhangs and shading elements
prevent solar gain and glare. Locally harvested and finished brick, wood, concrete and stone with low embodied energies further
reduce the building’s environmental impact, as do the recycled carpet tiles from a nearby manufacturer that are a uniquely regional
contribution to the project. This project is working toward LEED Silver certification. Project Type: New Construction, Size:
Existing: 44,884 GSF, New 28,100 GSF, Construction Cost: $10,933,782 (estimate), Completion Date: 2008 (December) (Perry)
Agnes Scott College, McCain Library, Decatur, GA – USA 2002
For more than six decades the McCain Library has stored the College's "food for the soul." A contribution of $15,000 for books
from the Carnegie Corporation made the construction of a library essential. An additional contribution from the corporation made
it possible to commission outside librarians and architects as consultants. The building was designed by Edwards and Sayward of
Atlanta and built in 1936. Originally named for Andrew Carnegie, the library was renamed for Agnes Scott's second president
James Ross McCain upon his retirement in 1951. Smaller renovations occurred through the years, but it wasn't until 2001 that a
total renovation was achieved.
The library houses more than 200,000 volumes with capacity for 250,000. The 2001 renovation added features that included wireless
internet connectivity throughout the building, a multimedia production facility and classroom, sound-buffered group study rooms,
and a speaking and writing center. Central to the academic life on campus, McCain Library also contains the College archives,
which include a collection of Robert Frost's poetry and memorabilia from his visits to the College. Robert Frost maintained a 30year
relationship with the Agnes Scott, visiting numerous times during annual pilgrimages to Florida. The McCain Library houses
one of the nation's finest Frost collections, including original material and a portrait of the poet.
(http://puka.cs.waikato.ac.nz/cgi-bin/cic/library?a=d&d=p45)
Waidner-Spahr Library, Dickinson College, Carlisle, PA – USA 1998
Awards:
2004 The Best College Library in the Country
The Best College Library in the Country The Princeton Review, 2004
The synthesis of contemporary forms and old materials in the award-wining addition integrates the existing library, a late
International Style building, into the Civil War-era campus fabric. The addition knits disparate campus elements together by using
the same limestone used for the original campus, an original wood window system, and carefully scaled building components. The
addition provides new stack and reader spaces as well as a self-contained Special Collections area with dedicated stacks and readers.
Sustainability: Choosing to reuse an existing building, rather than to build anew, is one of the most sustainable decisions an
institution can make. At Dickinson, renovation of an existing mid-century library combines with an addition to accommodate new
program requirements with as little new construction as possible. The addition minimizes environmental impact with natural
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