Library Buildings around the World

the current campus. Using innovative practices, standards, and technology, the building also meets challenges of reducing
greenhouse gases and preserving energy resources.
Visioning for this project allowed major campus decision makers to look beyond their immediate needs to consider plans for the
future. The process resulted in a new campus Master Planning phase which considered possibilities of overall campus growth and
appropriate site, building, and infrastructure development.
The quadrangle connects the new Library and Learning Resource Center to the Bookstore, Student Activities Center, and Food
Service with sunny south-facing views and a shaded grove for the hot Ukiah summers. The design concept strongly emphasizes
bringing the outdoors into the built Library environment. Sun control systems, north-facing clerestory windows, a natural
ventilation system, and installation of a “green” (vegetated) roof system are incorporated into the design to achieve the goal of
creating a sustainable and energy efficient building. (TLCD)
McCarthy Library, Napa Valley College, Napa, CA – USA 2010
The Library at Napa Valley College inspires student learning and welcomes the community to share its resources. The project is
situated in the scenic Napa Valley and is the hub of the College’s southern campus. The building and plaza are a new center for
study, cultural events, and training in information literacy.
The new Library is designed to bring people together. The Plaza acts as gathering space where guests arrive from both on-campus
and off-site. From the Plaza, students, teachers, and visitors are directed toward the glassy entry façade. The transparent façade
creates a strong inside-outside connection and offers a symbolic invitation to enter. The day-lit interior is airy and expansive, and
enables visual connections throughout.
The Library provides the latest technology, wireless, and multi-media learning environments. Print and electronic resources are
fully integrated. The raised access floor system provides flexible space below the floor for electrical connections and delivers highefficiency
air conditioning to students and staff. Automatic lighting controls and sustainable finishes are additional environmentally
friendly features. (TLCD)
Harold Mahoney Library, Petaluma Campus, Petaluma, CA – USA 2008
As part of the Phase II campus expansion, the Herold Mahoney Library becomes the cultural and architectural heart of Santa Rosa
Junior College’s Petaluma site. The 37,000 square foot library is the centerpiece building on a new eastern quadrangle. Facing the
quad is the Community Reading Room, a multipurpose facility connected to the main reading room by a gallery walk. The
Community Reading Room provides a venue for expanded cultural and civic events that have been the hallmark of the existing
library.
Tall glass curtain walls open to the east to capture the view across a new campus green to Sonoma Mountain. The Library has 400
reader seats including more than 50 public access computers and 24 Media Viewing stations. The new library provides four times
the library space of the previous Mahoney Library, adding eight new group studies, a library instruction classroom, and a full scope
Media Services department. (TLCD)
Frank P. Doyle Library, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa, CA – USA 2006
The new Main Library for Santa Rosa Junior College sits at the heart of the oak studded brick campus. Working with Shepley
Bulfinch Richardson and Abbott Architects of Boston, this new 145,000 s.f. Library comfortably fits into the historic campus.
Student use of the Library has increased three to four times since opening in the fall of 2006.
This library design focuses on an environment for teaching and learning information literacy. Collaborative work environments
such as group study rooms, a coffee bar, and Center for New Media for faculty and staff make the library the social, cultural and
symbolic center of the campus. A museum quality Art Gallery and bustling Tutorial Center reinforce the vibrancy of the building.
Furniture selection and interior design for collaborative work were a paramount concern in the design of the new library.
The Frank P. Doyle Library incorporates a number of strategies to make the facility more sustainable. To accomplish this, and to
increase the long-term efficiency in operational costs the building employs a variety of strategies including Thermal Energy Storage
Ice Banks and a 58 Kilowatt photovoltaic array on the roof. (TLCD)
Tom Eliot Fisch, San Francisaco, CA – USA
http://www.tomeliotfisch.com
Libraries:
North Branch Library, Berkeley Public Library, Berkeley, CA – USA 2012
Tom Eliot Fisch in association with Architectural Resources Group was selected to rehabilitate and expand the Berkeley North
Branch Library, a Berkeley City Landmark designed by architect James Plachek in the California Spanish style and constructed in
1936. Maintaining the majority of its historic features, the library is a cherished centerpiece of the Solano Avenue neighborhood and
the busiest of Berkeley's four existing branch libraries.
The 5,000 sf one-story building was expanded with a two-story, 4,200 sf addition. The LEED Silver project restores the historic
central rotunda and reading rooms, including decorative finishes and original furnishings and adds staff work areas, a teen library,
a community room, accessible restroom and other support spaces. (Tom)
Glen Park Branch Library, San Francisco, CA – USA 2007
An uplifting double-height space filled with natural light, a grand stairway, and public art beckons neighborhood residents from the
street to the public library above. Located on the second level of a residential mixed-use development, the new 9,200-sf branch
features a separate teen area, a multipurpose activity room, children's area, and main reading room with computers and adult and
non-fiction collections. Ample floor to ceiling windows along the perimeter of the library offer panoramic views to the Glen Park
neighborhood and nearby Mt. Davidson.
Interior Architect: Tom Eliot Fisch
Building Architect: Sternberg Benjamin Architects, Inc. (Tom)
Marina Branch Library, San Francisco, CA – USA 2007
Perched on the edge of a public park adjacent to tennis courts, a playground, community center and public school, this well-loved
mid-century neighborhood library needed updating and a little more room. Working with the local community, the architects
preserved the building's original residential character and generous daylight, while enhancing library functions and adding a new
reading room, children's area, additional space for stacks, and state-of-the-art technology.
Joint Venture Architects: Tom Eliot Fisch and Field Paoli. (Tom)
Trahan Architects, Baton Rouge, LA – USA
http://www.trahanarchitects.com
Libraries:
Baton Rouge Downtown Library, LA – USA 2009 on design
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