Library Buildings around the World

Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects (KPMB), Toronto, ON – Canada
http://www.kpmbarchitects.com
Libraries:
University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management – Toronto, ON - Canada 2012
The Rotman Expansion, the winning scheme in an invited design competition designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg
Architects (KPMB), was officially opened in September. The Rotman School is part of the University of Toronto and according to a
recent Financial Times survey of MBA programs, is ranked one the top 10 business schools in the world for faculty research. The
expansion project was conceived to create a vibrant global hub in which to evolve Rotman's core mission to promote the power of
creativity, innovation and integrative thinking in 21st-century business education.
As Roger Martin, Dean of Rotman, said, "We now have the hardware necessary to engage in next building of Rotman's software –
the programs and the people – to be best in the world for Canada. The interplay of this hardware and software opens huge
possibilities."
The nine-storey-high project is seamlessly integrated with and doubles the size of the Rotman School's home on the University of
Toronto's downtown campus. It is also connected to an existing Victorian residence. KPMB conceived a vertical campus to fit the
varied program of tiered classrooms, study rooms, research centres, study lounges, and dedicated student spaces on a tight urban
site. The project features many spaces for gathering, including the event hall, a state-of-the-art teaching and meeting space. The 500seat
event hall is the centrepiece of the project, its large elevated glass box facing out on to St. George Street to broadcast the
vibrancy of Rotman's programs to students of U of T and the city. The multi-level south atrium features a large-scale serpentine
staircase with a hot pink accent which simultaneously reduces reliance on elevators and increases interaction between students and
faculty.
Marianne McKenna, partner in charge for KPMB of the Rotman expansion, says that the design process was inspired by the
Rotman's Integrative Thinking program: "the design is a direct reflection of broad thinking, flexibility and teamwork involving
the input of the Rotman and the University of Toronto."
Targeting LEED® Silver certification, the project exemplifies sustainable design principles and prioritizes the well-being of students,
faculty, staff, and visitors. The interior is filled with natural light, fresh air, and spectacular views of the university's campus.
Terraces with green roofs and a courtyard provide access to the outdoors. In scale and massing, the KPMB design responds to the
surrounding context, between the residential scale of the historic 19th-century residence and the massive Brutalist architecture of the
Robarts Library across the street. It is sited to respect views and minimize shadow impact on Massey College to the east.
Design partner Bruce Kuwabara said, "The expansion project is both contemporary and in dialogue with the history and the
architecture that surrounds it. An expression of the hallmarks of the Canadian experience – tolerance and openness – the Rotman is
now open and poised to help move Rotman forward in Canada and on the world stage." Canadian Architect 05.10.12
(http://www.canadianarchitect.com)
Joseph S. Stauffer Library and Computing Center, Queens University, Kingston, ON – Canada 1994
230.000 sqf., € 29.000.000
Awards:
2001 City of Kingston Livable City Design Award
1997 Governor General's Award of Merit
1990 Winning Scheme, National Design Competition
The winning entry in a national design competition, the Joseph S. Stauffer Library and Computing Centre implements the vision of
Queen’s University to establish a library system for the 21st century. The project houses a collection of approximately one and a half
million volumes within a fully networked environment containing digital information resources including Internet access.
The project offers a contemporary interpretation of collegiate architecture to respond to the historic campus context. The
architecture is inspired by the vertical proportion and rich silhouette of academic architecture at Queen’s as well as European and
North American precedents. Traditional forms and materials are translated in a modern idiom conditioned by contemporary
building methods, materials and systems. The building occupies the northwest corner of the principal campus intersection at Union
Street and University Avenue. An octagonal stone and glass element announces the main entrance to the library. A central stack
building organizes the plan and soars above a series of smaller perimeter building elements that accommodate reading rooms. A
skylit circulation spine clarifies the sectional organization of the plan. The exterior material palette of limestone masonry, wood and
metal refers to the history of limestone architecture in Kingston. Inside, cherry wood, painted metal and stone bandings are used to
evoke the warmth and richness of collegiate architecture. The colour palette comprises buff yellow, lavender blue and terra cotta
red, variations on the Queen’s tricolor theme. Custom-designed furnishings incorporate wire management to provide desktop power
and data delivery to all user positions. (Kuwabara)
Raether Library and Information Technology Center, Trinity College, Hartford,
Connecticut – USA 2003
$ (USD) 30.000.000, 118,000 s.f. renovation of two buildings: the original 1952 building and a 1977 addition, 60,000 sq.ft. of
new construction.
Awards:
2004 Connecticut Building Congress, Project Team Runner-up Award
2004 Connecticut Real Estate Exchange Award
The Raether Library and Information Technology Center is envisioned as a new locus for the Trinity College campus,
fitting into the institution’s larger vision to elevate its academic standing in New England and enhance its architectural
position in the urban fabric of Hartford. The Library and IT Center is arranged as part of an arrival courtyard with a two-
storey cloistered arcade connecting it with the neighbouring performance theatre. In architectural and programmatic
terms, the Center is intended as a place of cultural, academic and social intersection. The Raether Library and IT Center
houses a double-height reading room for study and research. The new addition is linked to the existing buildings by a three-
storey atrium, which contains the principal circulation stair with multi-level links connecting the existing with the new.
Physical and intellectual access to the library and collection is enhanced through increased stacks and reader spaces, new
circulation and reference desks, electronic training labs and a new 24-hour zone for computer use, study and socializing.
The project employs such enduring and New England-appropriate materials as local red brick and brownstone. Inside,
wood-paneled reader alcoves with views of the campus enhance the learning experience. Vitrines and shelves lining the
Reading Room showcase Trinity College’s significant collection of rare books and manuscripts. (Hughes)
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