Library Buildings around the World

Fisher and Bendheim Halls contain Princeton’s Economics Department and Center of International Studies in a single building.
Structurally, they connect at every floor level to the existing red brick Corwin Hall; they also connect to the 1960s Woodrow Wilson
School via an underground tunnel and by the extension of the grade-level plaza and pedestrian steps. Though most of the building
houses faculty offices, there are also larger classrooms, a library, seminar and computer rooms, and graduate study and meeting
areas. Extensive site design and massing support Fisher and Bendheim Halls mediation between the domestic scale of the private,
historical Eating Clubs along Prospect Street and the main campus’s larger, stylistically varied institutional structures. The building
has distinct entrances, giving each department a separate identity, permitting close interdepartmental collaboration, and promoting
economical facility sharing.
The durable interior and exterior relate to Princeton’s rich campus traditions while remaining within contemporary economic and
maintenance constraints. Through surface
design and symbolism it combines contrast and analogy: its brick echoes Corwin Hall, and in combination with limestone trim it
relates to ‘79 Hall and other buildings
in the campus’s southeastern precinct. The building’s limestone-trimmed strip windows, big bay window, and ornamentation adapt
the Princeton’s Gothic-Elizabethan
architectural vocabulary but as a stylistic abstraction, a representation rather than a substantiation of the whole. It promotes a
generic and comforting order
emanating from its complex academic program, while accommodating artistic contradictions to form a tense, exciting, complex
whole. (http://venturiscottbrown.org/pdfs/princetonFisherBendheimHalls01.pdf)
W Architecture & Landscape Architecture, New York, NY – USA
http://www.w-architecture.com
Libraries.
Bentalou Elementary School Library, Baltimore – USA 2005
To meet the Baltimore Elementary School’s goal of improving literacy through independent study in a more flexible space, W’s
“learning landscape” incorporates adventure and discovery. A large “park bench” doubles as a casual reading area facing the
window and a docking area for computer workstations. Nine wall clocks show the time in Baltimore and in eight sister cities around
the world. Behind the librarian, a former door to the space becomes a corridor display window, highlighting special reading
materials, and enticing curious passing students to visit. Much of the existing furniture and shelving is adapted for reuse, while the
design also adds important new storage space hidden behind the green wall. New lighting, solar shading outside the windows and a
new more efficient HVAC system help save energy.
Coordinating with Baltimore Head Librarian of Schools, W Architecture & Landscape Architecture also met challenges for
supervision and visibility requirements in the 2,016 square foot space completing the renovation within the budget of $132,000.
(W Architecture)
Weinstein A│U Architects + Urban Designers, Seattle, WA – USA
http://www.weinsteinau.com
Libraries:
Seattle Public Libraries, Montlake Branch Library, Seattle, WA – USA 2006
The new Montlake Branch at 2401 24th Ave. E. opened Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006. The branch is the 19th project completed under the
"Libraries for All" Building Program
The building was designed by Weinstein Architects + Urban Designers and built by Graham Contracting Ltd. The architects
designed the contemporary brick and cedar-clad branch to relate to the adjacent commercial structures and residences in the area.
A vertical glass entry on 24th Avenue East creates a strong civic presence and an entry plaza provides an outdoor gathering space
for patrons.
HISTORY
Public library service in Montlake dates back to September 1944, when The Seattle Public Library teamed up with the Montlake
Community Club to open a small library to serve the area.
The community club raised money and leased a former grocery store on what is now 24th Avenue East, and the Library provided a
librarian and books. The Library assumed financial responsibility for the space in 1947.
In 1979, the library moved into the adjacent 1,574-square-foot space formerly occupied by a drug store. In 1991, the branch closed
for 21/2 years while the building owner upgraded the structure, during which time a bookmobile served the neighborhood.
LIBRARIES FOR ALL CAPITAL PROJECTS AND THE MONTLAKE BRANCH
In 1998, voters approved the $196.4 million "Libraries for All" (LFA) bond measure and The Seattle Public Library Foundation
pledged to contribute privately raised money to improve the Library system. The plan included replacing the small space in
Montlake with a full-sized branch.
The Library bought property at the northwest corner of 24th Avenue East and East McGraw Street for the new branch.
Construction began in August 2005. The branch opened Saturday, Aug. 12, 2006.
(http://www.spl.org/locations/montlake-branch/mon-about-the-branch)
Weiss Manfredi, New York, NY – USA
http://www.weissmanfredi.com
Libraries:
PS 42 Robin Hood Foundation Libray, New York, Queens, NY- USA 2002
This renovated library for a public elementary school in Queens rethinks the place and purpose of the library within the school.
Organized and funded by the Robin Hood Foundation, this pro-bono project is part of a 10 school pilot study. A curvilinear wall
thick with books winds through the library. A curtain printed with a large word search can be drawn shut to enclose a storytelling
area. Rolling bookshelves stack to one side of the library creating one large space. Custom-designed rolling ottomans can be
arranged in a variety of playful settings. The design envisions this environment as an interim landscape: a fluid series of adaptable
settings. (Weiss)
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