Library Buildings around the World

The revitalized Fondren Library fulfills a vision set forth in the University's Library Master Plan, integrating emerging technologies
and supporting new patterns of activity and scholarship. Located in the center of campus, Fondren is at the crossroads of the historic
quadrangle and new campus development, creating the opportunity for it to be not only an intellectual focal point, but also a link
between the two zones. Visitors now arrive in a double-height entry area flanked by technology services, a cafe, and an information
commons. The library provides a GIS laboratory and enhanced special collections area, while a penthouse reading room offers views
of the campus. Completed as a phased renovation, the library remained open throughout construction. Shepley Bulfinch designed
the project in association with Bailey Architects. (Shepley)
Cornell University, African Studies and Research Center, Ithaca, NY – USA 2005
6.000 sqf., $ 2.600.000
Awards:
Citation, 2007 Awards for Excellence in Architecture, National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA)
2006 Gold Award, Brick in Architecture Awards
The award-winning Africana Studies and Research Center gives Cornell a highly visible emblem of the history, values, and culture
of African peoples. Two pavilions, totaling 6,000 s.f., were added to a 11,600 s.f 1950s building to create a village complex with a
shared exterior courtyard. The exterior brick patterns were inspired by the earth tone palette and rich textures of traditional
African textiles. Large windows provide abundant natural light and views, creating a sense of openness and invitation. Circulation
paths connect individual program spaces, each of which represents a core value of the Center: scholarship (the library pavilion);
community (the multipurpose pavilion); and leadership (the faculty office and classroom pavilion). This integrated learning
community reflects the Center's commitment to support collaborative education techniques as well as focused, individual research.
(Shepley)
Duke University, Perkins Library Complex, Bostock Library and von der Heyden Pavilion, Durham, NC
– USA 2005
133.000 sqf., $ 34.200.000
Working with Duke University over the last eight years, Shepley Bulfinch has completed the program, planning, design, and
construction for a multiphased designed an expansion and renovation, of the Perkins Library. The original library was designed in
1928, with successive expansions in 1948 and 1968, all reflecting the Gothic tradition of Duke. This design repositions the Library as
the centerpiece of a dynamic learning and research community, creating a balance of spatial types and environments that will
support the University's evolving needs and uses. It redefines the research and learning environment by integrating library
resources, services, and users in spaces commensurate with the expectation and quality of intellectual work at Duke. As the central
library for the University, Perkins Library commands a place of prominence on the West Campus quad beside the Chapel. The
Library addition responds positively to this historic context and contributes to the campus's unique sense of place. (Shepley)
The Perkins Library complex was built in three stages-in 1928, 1948, and 1968. By the late 1990s it was clear that it was time for the
library to renew and grow again. A master plan for Perkins Library included a goal of redefining the research and learning
environment of the University libraries by integrating library resources, services, and users in spaces commensurate with the nature
and quality of the intellectual endeavors at the University. Sheply Bulfinch Architects out of Boston was hired for the master plan as
well as interior renovations to the existing library, and the design of two new buildings: Bostock Library and the von der Heyden
Pavilion, which were completed and opened to the public in 2005. Bostock added 125,000 square feet of library expansion, and the
von der Heyden Pavilion provided a popular coffee house and social space for Perkins. The site design for the project included the
West Campus Pedestrianway, which was coordinated with the design for Fitzpatrick Center.
(http://www.architect.duke.edu/projects/completed/bostock.html)
Boston Public Library. Renovation and Restauration, Boston, MA – USA 2005
236.00 sqf., $ 50.000.000
Awards:
Harleston Parker Medal 2001, Boston Society of Architects
Preservation Award 2000, Massachusetts Historical Commission
Modernization Award 1999, Buildings Magazine
Architectural Design Honor Award 1995, Boston Society of Architects/AIA
Design Excellence Award 1995, ASID and Boston Magazine
Preservation Award 1994, Victorian Society of America
The project presented the formidable task of determining the appropriate treatments for these historically significant architectural
spaces with their rich adornment of murals and sculptures. At the same time, all building spaces required extensive reorganization
and upgrades for contemporary use. This included replacing all major M/E/P systems and enabling the installation of technology
systems and infrastructure while preserving the historic interior. The design team collaborated with hundreds of consultants
specializing in fine art conservation; historic finishes, lighting and stone work and other restoration expertise. The project included
restoring the original McKim Main Entry Lobby and Grand Stair to their original grandeur, reopening architecturally significant
spaces for public use, and reclaiming the Lower Level, previously used for storage. The library remained fully operational
throughout the renovation. In 2001 it received the Harleston Parker Medal, the Boston Society of Architects' highest honor and the
first ever awarded for a renovation project. (Shepley)
The Boston Public Library McKim Building (built 1895) in Copley Square contains the library's research collection, exhibition
rooms and administrative offices. When it opened in 1895, the new Boston Public Library was proclaimed a "palace for the people."
The building includes lavish decorations, a children's room (the first in the nation), and a central courtyard surrounded by an
arcaded gallery in the manner of a Renaissance cloister. The library regularly displays its rare works, often in exhibits that will
combine works on paper, rare books, and works of art. Several galleries in the third floor of the McKim building are maintained for
exhibits.
Bates Hall has a coffered ceiling in a wide catena-arched barrel vault. Internet and power connections are discreetly beneath the
large wooden research tables.
Charles Follen McKim's design shows influence from a number of architectural precedents. (Charles Follen McKim (August 24,
1847, Chester County, PA – September 14, 1909 St.James, NY) was an American Beaux-Arts architect of the late 19th century.
Along with Stanford White, he provided the architectural expertise as a member of the partnership McKim, Mead & White.)
McKim drew explicitly on the Bibliothèque Sainte-Geneviève in Paris (designed by Henri Labrouste, built 1845 to 1851) for the
general arrangement of the facade that fronts on Copley Square, but his detailing of that facade's arcaded windows owes a clear debt
to the side elevations of Leon Battista Alberti's Tempio Malatestiano in Rimini. The open-air courtyard at the center of the building
is based closely on that of the sixteenth-century Palazzo della Cancelleria in Rome. McKim also exploited up-to-date building
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