Library Buildings around the World

Lee Harris Pomeroy Architects, New York, NY – USA
http://www.lhparch.com
Libraries:
Hampton Library Addition and Restauration, Bridgehampton, NY – USA 2008 - 2010
11.000 sqf.
This renovation to a historic library and the addition of a modern glass-walled structure expanded the building while respecting its
1877-era character. The design also reoriented the complex toward its delightful backyard garden and brought a new sense of light
and space to the interiors, along with numerous updated facilities.
While retaining the building’s special character, the design practically doubles the space for patrons, staff and books. The design
also addresses important structural issues and updates the library’s overall accessibility and technical facilities.
To take advantage of the newly improved garden setting, LHPA designed a reading terrace at ground level and a “reading porch”
upstairs facing the garden. The porch doubles as a speaker’s platform for the library’s popular lecture series “Fridays at Five.”
(Pomeroy)
Hampton Library Moves Back Home
Posted on 21 January 2010
By Marianna Levine
After exactly 16 months to the day of extensive renovations, the Hampton Library is once again open to the public at its original
Main Street location. And it appears that the library has swiftly and successfully managed to blend the cozy and familiar with the
strikingly new.
The library’s executive director, Susan LaVista comments as she gives a tour of the new space “(the architect Lee Harris Pomeroy)
did a nice job of blending the new with the old. The workmanship is quite beautiful. Although we are still awaiting some final
finishing touches.”
She points out the added public access to the second story loft, and the stairs to the children’s library and media room in the walk
out basement. The main floor’s space has been opened up to reveal the natural wood beams of a cathedral ceiling. The outdoors has
been brought in through the placement of a glass wall facing the library’s back yard, making an old Norway Maple the centerpiece
of the library.
“It was understood that under all circumstances we had to preserve and protect the tree. We consulted an arborist throughout the
whole process. We put a fence around it and no one was allowed to enter. We knew the tree was over 100 years old as it was a
survivor of a shipwreck near Bridgehampton.”
LaVista points out some of the details from one of two floating, glass enclosed reading balconies overlooking the main floor’s reading
room, “All these fixtures are unusual. The architect’s attention to detail was remarkable. He personally specified all the fixtures
including our lamp shades that I think came from Italy.”
These details, including the large lacey, white glass hanging lamps she is alluding to, give the library’s interior a mid-century modern
Scandinavian feel. And this continues to be true on the lower level, where the children’s library, a gallery space, and a large
media/project room are housed.
Although the children’s area has been moved to what was once the basement, it has been opened up to a sloping backyard and is
light and bright due to the natural light coming from the back wall of windows. The architect also designed a large yellow wooden
circular structure, almost like a round ship, incorporating benches with the intention of creating an intimate and cozy space for the
library’s popular story time.
“We have this problem now that children are crying because they don’t want to leave the library,” said LaVista.
LaVista notes that there is even a large, modern elevator to accommodate strollers, to take parents and babies down to the lower
level, or families can come around through the glass doors that lead to a backyard terrace and the garden. LaVista hopes, in good
weather, the terrace will be used for story time and projects as well.
Other new features include 12 new computers including one for the visually impaired, a teen room on the main floor, a literacy class
room, a main floor library dedicated to Bridgehampton history, and a state of the art media room which, when opened up to the
children’s library, can accommodate up to 130 people.
Although the main intention of the renovation was to increase the library’s space, LaVista explains, “we have more than doubled our
seating capacity”, the idea was also to retain “cozy reading spaces and to make everything feel like you’re in a comfortable room.”
Yet, despite all these changes several things have remained the same. The building’s historic façade looks remarkably the same,
although painted in a slightly warmer tone to blend in with the new natural wood exterior in the back. LaVista explains that is was
always the intention of the board to keep the front of the building intact.
They also decided to keep the front check out area in the same location, although larger and modernized. The original fireplace
facing the counter is still there, but has been opened up in the back and turned into a working gas fireplace.
“On the weekends people have been jockeying for seats by this gas fire,” LaVista remarks.
With neighboring Sag Harbor just starting its renovation process, LaVista offers some encouragement and advice, “Although it has
been an incredible amount of work, it has been just an amazing experience to do this renovation. It was well worth the wait. And we
had a good team of people working on this.”
She is grateful that “the community was patient and really behind us all the way.”
La Vista, whose office is next to the front entrance, ends by saying, “You know I love hearing people’s responses as they come into
the building. Two people have burst into tears after looking around. They’re so happy to be back in this space and are so pleased
with the expansion.”
(http://sagharboronline.com/sagharborexpress/page-1/hampton-library-moves-back-home-6353)
John Portman & Associates, Atlanta, GA – USA
http://www.portmanusa.com
Libraries:
Lyman Beecher Brooks Library, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA – USA 2012
06.01.2009
GROUND BROKEN FOR NEW LIBRARY PROJECT AT NORFOLK STATE UNIVERSITY
ATLANTA, GA (June 8, 2009) John Portman & Associates, Inc. (PORTMAN) is pleased to announce the beginning of construction
on the new Lyman Beecher Brooks Library and Campus Greens at Norfolk State University in Norfolk, Virginia. The firm created
the design for this project.
Located at the geographic center of the campus, the positioning of the new library creates a new west “academic” quadrangle and a
new east “student life” quadrangle. Plazas at both library entrances along the primary East-West pedestrian thoroughfare of the
158