Library Buildings around the World

opportunities for all students, including culinary arts, agriculture, building trades, photography, auto body/technology and more.
The building also has electronic whiteboards, an innovative wireless network that connects the school to other buildings in the
district, a Category Six voice and data network, and projection systems with 100-inch diagonal screens in all of the classrooms.
Also incorporated in the campus are impressive athletic and fine arts facilities, including a premier gymnasium, large stadium,
baseball and soccer fields, a modern black-box theater, and large group instruction areas. Multi-purpose lecture rooms and
instructional resource centers overlook the campus library, as well as other features, all serving to prepare and propel Duncanville
High School students forward to careers, college and beyond. (SHW Group)
SJA Architects, Duluth, MN – USA
http://www.staniusjohnson.com
Libraries:
Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwa Community College, Library Addition, Hayward, WI – USA 2007
9.300 sqf., $ 1.500.000
Traditional Ojibwa imagery and sacred symbols adorn the new library at the Lac Courte Orielles Ojibwa Community College
campus in Hayward, Wisconsin. In addition to traditional library functions, the building offers up a space for the tribal community
to gather, grow and learn. The new library provides approximately 9,300SF of accommodation with a children’s library, two study
rooms and a gathering/story-telling area evoking the feeling of a traditional wigwam dwelling, with and fireplace and featuring a
framed open-latticed ceiling with wooden walls resembling bark and sapling latticing. The natural wood building exterior
compliments surrounding campus buildings and the new SJA designed campus entrance. The children’s library evokes the feeling
of growth with an emphasis on seedlings felt throughout in the chair’s playful fabric and wooden bench with sapling carvings. The
Sacred Tree and Circle are felt throughout the design from the new grand campus entrance to the carpet inlays in the wigwam.
Everything from the porcelain tile to the oak desks and book shelves were inspired by nature and the beautiful rural site of the
college. (SJA)
University of Minnesota, Duluth Campus Library, Duluth, MN – USA 2000
The new campus library, which combines print collections with state-of-the-art electronic information resources, has been hailed as
a landmark building symbolizing UMD’s dedication to excellence and learning. The new $26 million facility opened in the fall of
2000. The northern entrance to UMD’s academic core and pedestrian concourses, the new library is highly visible to users, day or
night. It also ties the building visually to its natural northwoods setting and creates “gracious spaces” inside that offer comfort,
appealing views, natural light, and flexibility in use of space. To make the new library architecturally distinctive, designers decided
to break the linear pattern of neighboring buildings. The new library’s projected exterior forms and expressions contrast with the
boxy nature of nearby buildings. Sheathing is solid red brick, unlike the exterior of surrounding buildings. The library’s most
prominent architectural feature is a rotunda marking its main entrance. The rotunda form, used nowhere else on campus, gives the
building landmark status. Its hemispheric copper dome, with a skylight, serves as a beacon to draw students to the library, day or
night.
Inside, the library is equally special. Patrons entering it encounter a sweeping view upward into a two-story circular area that
imparts a feeling of drama and openness. On the building’s south side, a sheltered courtyard with plantings and furniture invites
students to study or socialize outside during warmer months. Rotunda reading rooms, each two stories high, give users 270-degree
views of Lake Superior and the surrounding area. The main reading room, on the north side, has large vertical windows that face
scenic natural areas. Internal balconies allow daylight to penetrate each floor and provide views from study and collections areas.
To save money on construction and operation, the design team chose a simple rectangular form for most of the building and a
modular concrete joist and beam structural system. The system, inherently fire-resistant, made it relatively easy to build irregular
shapes, circular forms, cantilevered areas and openings in the floor. Windows were chosen to fit with regular brick and block
coursing and have limited size variations to minimize construction costs. To allow flexibility, designers left ample open floor space on
each floor, concentrating mechanical/electrical and building service spaces on the east and west sides. The modular structural
system will accommodate a variety of planning options. The five-inch-thick concrete structural system was easy to penetrate for
voice, data and power connections. The new library is one of the most high-tech libraries in the country. Study tables and carrels
have power and data connections for laptop computers. All floors have on-line computerized catalogs for quick information access.
In-depth research on the on-line catalog may be done at computerized study carrels. The library’s digital resources include over
555,000 volumes with access to 4,700 journals; two computer labs; three electronic classrooms, one with interactive television; and 15
group study areas with network connections. (SJA)
Slade Architecture, New York, NY – USA
http://www.sladearch.com
Libraries:
Montessori Progressive Learning Centre, New York, Queens, NY – USA 2006 – 2007
3.000 sqf., $ 7.434.000
This interior renovation of the Montessori Progressive Learning Center in Queens, NY was part of the NYC RFP for 24 Firms,
Design Excellence Initiative. The work included the creation of a library, renovations of a teachers’ lounge, renovation of all
bathrooms and play sinks in the classrooms, renovation of two kitchens, and a new reception area. This project was subject to the
NY City Sustainable Building Guidelines. The renovation was completed while the building was occupied--the Montessori School has
no periods of closure longer than a four day weekend. Renewable, low-toxicity products and methods were specified for the highly
sensitive environment of a functioning nursery school. Working with the school and contractor, we coordinated the phasing to
minimize the impact the on school operations. The original scope called for the conversion of a small basement storage room to
provide shelving for a small library. By imaginatively capturing underutilized and overlooked space including two circulation
corridors, we created an amenity that exceeded everyone’s expectations within the original budget. The space we created provides
the required library shelving and a reading area that can be used for larger school gatherings and presentations. The library is now
programmed for various functions by the administration and individual teachers: It has become the central hub for teachers,
students and parents in the school. Because the area designated for the new library is below grade, we strove to create a sense of
openness and brightness by incorporating a reflective ceiling, bright murals and lighting. (Slade)
Chungmuro Intermedia Playground - Seoul, South Korea 2000
3,400 sqf. Renovation
in collaboration with Minsuk Cho and Kwang-soo Kim
New media, communication technology and virtual space have transformed social and economic interaction, physical space,
the relationship between public and private space and generated new spatial typologies. Restaurants are used for work,
offices for leisure, homes for shopping, etc. Mass transit is no longer just a line connecting two functions; technology allows
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