Fall 2011 • Architecture Springfield Public Library Collin Janke • Architecture Ian Korn • Architecture R. Thomas Hille, Visiting Professor • Architecture 2Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank the following people for their assistance with the project. Without their time and energy, none of this would have been possible. SCI Directors and Staff Robert Liberty, Executive Director Nico Larco, SCI Associate Director, and Associate Professor of Architecture Marc Schlossberg, SCI Associate Director, and Associate Professor of Planning, Public Policy, and Management Chris Jones, SCI Program Manager UO Department of Architecture Prof. Christine Theodoropoulos Prof. Esther Hagenlocher City of Springfield Courtney Griesel, Management Analyst John Tamulonis, Community Development Manager Jeff Towery, Assistant City Manager Springfield Public Library Rob Everett, Library Director Barbara Thompson, Adult and Youth Services Manager Debbie Steinman, Support Services Manager Studio Presentations Prof. Esther Hagenlocher Faculty Reviewers Prof. Virginia Cartwright Prof. Donald Corner Prof. Howard Davis Prof. Esther Hagenlocher Prof. Gary Moye Prof. Brook Muller Prof. James Tice Prof. Michael Utsey Prof. Jenny Young Other Reviewers Anne Ballew, SPL Foundation Ted Corbin, NEDCO Board Kathy Howard, SPL Friends Chris Jones, UO SCI Jenny Peterson, SPL Jim Polston, City of Springfield Karen Salman, SPL Friends Claire Seguin, NEDCO John Tamulonis, City of Springfield Barbara Thompson, SPL 3About SCI The Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) is a cross-disciplinary organization at the University of Oregon that promotes education, service, public outreach, and research on the design and development of sustainable cities. We are redefining higher education for the public good and catalyzing community change toward sustainability. Our work addresses sustainability at multiple scales and emerges from the conviction that creating the sustainable city cannot happen within any single discipline. SCI is grounded in cross-disciplinary engagement as the key strategy for improving community sustainability. Our work connects student energy, faculty experience, and community needs to produce innovative, tangible solutions for the creation of a sustainable society. About SCYP The Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) is a year-long partnership between SCI and one city in Oregon, in which students and faculty in courses from across the university collaborate with the partner city on sustainability and livability projects. SCYP faculty and students work in collaboration with staff from the partner city through a variety of studio projects and service-learning courses to provide students with real-world projects to investigate. Students bring energy, enthusiasm, and innovative approaches to difficult, persistent problems. SCYP’s primary value derives from collaborations resulting in on-the- ground impact and expanded conversations for a community ready to transition to a more sustainable and livable future. SCY 2011-12 includes courses in Architecture; Arts and Administration; Business; Economics; Journalism; Landscape Architecture; Law; Oregon Leadership in Sustainability; and Planning, Public Policy, and Management. About Springfield, Oregon The City of Springfield has been a leader in sustainable practices for more than 30 years, tackling local issues ranging from waste and stormwater management to urban and suburban redevelopment. It is the first and only jurisdiction in Oregon to create two separate Urban Renewal Districts by voter approval. Constrained by dramatic hillsides and rivers to the north and south, Springfield has worked tirelessly to develop efficiently and respectfully within its natural boundary as well as the current urban growth boundary. Springfield is proud of its relationships and ability to work with property owners and developers on difficult developments, reaching agreements that are to the benefit of both the project and the affected property owners. These relationships with citizens are what continue to allow Springfield to turn policy and planning into reality. Springfield recruited a strong, diverse set of partners to supplement city staff participation in SCYP. Partners include the Springfield Utility Board, Willamalane Park and Recreation District, Metro Wastewater Management Commission, United Way of Lane County, and Springfield School District 19. 4Course Participants R. Thomas Hille, Visiting Professor, Architecture Ian Austin, Architecture Undergraduate Andrew Cohen, Architecture Graduate Alex Dykes, Architecture Undergraduate Jessica D. Gunraj, Architecture Graduate Anthony Hasenberg, Architecture Undergraduate Jennifer Huang, Architecture Graduate Scot Jahn, Architecture Graduate Collin Janke, Architecture Graduate Ian Korn, Architecture Graduate Christina Larson, Architecture Graduate Anna Liu, Architecture Graduate Gwynne Mhuireach, Architecture Graduate Jiajian Min, Architecture Undergraduate Chet Morgan, Architecture Undergraduate Eric Petrie, Architecture Undergraduate Daniela Teran, Architecture Undergraduate Yaman Tezcan, Architecture Undergraduate 5Table of Contents Executive Summary 6 Introduction 7 Site Analysis 10 Program Analysis 11 Design Proposals: North–South Building Orientation 14 Design Proposals: East–West Building Orientation 20 Design Proposals: L-shaped Buildings 36 Sustainable Strategies 49 Extra Features 59 Plazas / Outdoor Civic Presence 60 Future Expansion 66 Conclusion 69 Appendix: Program Outline 70 References 71 This report represents original student work and recommendations prepared by students in the University of Oregon’s Sustainable City Year Program for the City of Springfield. Text and images contained in this report may not be used without permission from the University of Oregon. 6Executive Summary Tom Hille’s Fall 2012 architectural design studio participated in the Sustainable City Year Springfield Library project, and was tasked with developing schematic designs for a proposed new public library for the City of Springfield. To accommodate a growing population in Springfield, the city administration and library identified a need to build a new building wholly dedicated to the purpose of creating a civic space where all members of the community can have equal access to high quality information and educational resources. The design studio included 17 architecture students at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Over the course of ten weeks (one academic term), they individually proposed schematic designs for the library. The studio proposed a contemporary vision of a community-oriented library that developed its civic identity within a framework of sustainable design practices. Students explored sustainable building practices that enhanced the civic agenda of the library’s program, including rainwater harvesting in public space, daylighting in reading rooms, increased diversity through mixed-use spaces, and access to alternative forms of transportation. The site chosen for the studio is located on the block directly across the street from the library’s current location within Springfield’s City Hall, bounded by B Street to the north, A Street to the south, North 4th Street to the west, and North 5th Street to the east. An alley crosses the middle of the block, running east-west. There are four lots located on the block; the site of the new library would occupy the three blocks surrounding the church. The site offered three possibilities for orienting the building. Students explored building orientations that this report describes as North-South, East-West, and L-shaped. Student consideration of the location of the plaza and orientation of the building footprint on the site was a driving force in the development of students’ schemes. Students all developed the plaza as a critical space that reinforced the connection between City Hall, the NEDCO Sprout food hub (in the former church on the same block as the library site), the Washburne neighborhood, and the greater downtown community. The anticipated future growth of Springfield, along with the insufficient size of the current library for Springfield’s existing population, meant that students created designs for a library that would be 20,000 square feet larger than the current library, almost double the current size. Development of schemes balanced space on the site between the library footprint, the plaza, and the accommodation of a future addition. Students worked within the parameters of providing spaces for adults, teens, children, staff, and “flex” or community space. Functional adjacencies and circulation between spaces were carefully considered, especially those between the staff work areas and the book stacks. Students used the orientation of the book stacks and furniture as well as daylighting to create clear circulation throughout the library. Students’ schemes also integrated coffee shops and a ”Friends of the Library” bookstore in an effort to embrace and provide financial opportunities to important community stakeholders. 7Introduction The Existing Library The Springfield Public Library currently occupies a corner of the second floor of Springfield City Hall, which is housed in a converted shopping mall originally built in the late 1970s. The main entrance to the library is at the end of a hallway at the top of a flight of stairs fronted by a small plaza. In other words, the library is not easy to find if you do not know where you are going. Security requirements mean there is one door for the entry and another for the exit. Because the original building that now houses the library had different daylighting needs, the only daylight filters in through overhead skylights and windows at the perimeter. Special programs are held in a storybook corner, a conference room, the hallway outside, and occasionally the plaza downstairs. According to Standards for Oregon Public Libraries (Oregon Library Association 2010), the library is significantly smaller than is recommended for a city with Springfield’s population, both in space for staff and collections. Methodology The design studio included 17 architecture students at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Over the course of ten weeks (one academic term), they individually proposed a range of schematic designs for the library. As a whole, the studio proposed a contemporary community-based vision of a library that developed its civic identity within a framework of sustainable design practices. Students explored sustainable building practices that enhanced the civic agenda of the libraries program, including strategies such as rainwater harvesting in public space, daylighting in reading rooms, increased diversity through mixed use spaces, and access to active transportation. The studio was taught by Visiting Professor Tom Hille, an architect with experience in library design, who guided the students’ approach, development, and refinement of the Springfield Library Studio. To establish a foundation of knowledge about the business and day-to-day operations of the existing Springfield library, the students visited the Springfield librarians and conducted case studies on community libraries. Interviews with librarians, visits to the future site, and precedent analysis established a basis for design. As part of the process of understanding modern public libraries, students were assigned a precedent study project at the beginning of the term. The libraries chosen were mostly of a similar size and type to the proposed Springfield Public Library. These case studies, as well as others which students pursued on their own, influenced the final student designs. 8The development of schemes in the design studio focused on building physical and digital models in an iterative process. Process models and drawings were reviewed on a weekly basis by Professor Hille, Springfield Library Director Rob Everett, and student peers. Students proposed design concepts regarding site orientation and architectural character that would guide subsequent detailed spatial relationships between the interior and exterior spaces. Structure was integrated as a means for providing daylight, enhancing functional program adjacencies, and connecting the library to the civic plaza and the community beyond. Major design considerations included: • Flexibility / adaptability / multi-use • Equitable access • Security considerations including access points and staffing • Functional program adjacencies • Integration of new information technologies • Diversification of library activities • Architectural expression of daylighting, natural ventilation, water, and other sustainable strategies • Rainwater catchment / runoff management • Connection to plaza / City Hall / NEDCO Sprout food hub / neighborhood • Architectural expression of civic identity and sense of place Each of the seventeen students in the studio created a design for a new public library. The Design Proposals sections will describe student work in detail. The first portion will discuss the opportunities and constraints associated with the three main building orientations, North-South, East-West, and L-shaped, and call out any unique elements of student designs. Following that, several recurring themes will be discussed, including methods to incorporate sustainable design, ways the students went beyond the given program, the civic plaza, and how future expansion of the library can be accommodated. 9Studio Philosophy: The Purpose of a Civic Library A key element in the studio’s design process was considering the components and functions of a good modern public library. Great libraries of the past were often a “temple for books” with a grand central reading room with bookshelf- lined walls. These rooms were largely for quiet study and fit well within a research context. The civic library of today, however, is more of a community center, meant to serve a variety of needs. The library is just as likely to have a coffee shop, bookstore, and performance space as it is to have quiet rooms for study. While a public library presents itself as an important building, it is meant for everyone and is therefore accessible to everyone – it is not necessarily a foreboding building at the top of a large staircase. The modern public library must accommodate people of all ages and backgrounds and offer them everything from classes to meeting rooms and a place to hang out, as well as a place where someone would go to borrow a book or movie. It needs to successfully integrate a noisy children’s area with a quiet reading area. Further adding to the studio’s design challenge was the attempt to design for the future and any technological changes it may bring. People today like to bring laptops to the library and work from many different places within, thanks to the availability of wireless Internet access. Banks of desktop computers may soon be replaced by laptop or tablet computers. It is also possible that space now used to hold physical books will no longer be needed as e-books become more popular. The challenge for the Springfield Library studio was to create designs that met Springfield’s present needs for a civic library, while anticipating its future growth and the changing purpose of a library. The Library of the future The Library of the past UP UP UP DN DN DN Many speculate that technology and the rise of digital evices foreshadow the death of printed texts and subsequently, the antiquation of the library. n. (pl. -brar-ies) a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, a d sometimes films and recorded music for people to read, borrow, or refer to. Li •brar •y /lƯޙbrerƝ/ first floor: 1 /16 " =1'0" second floor: 1 /16 " =1'0" The libra y of today is more than a warehouse for books or a temple of knowledge. As the World Wide Web expands and more people gain access to digital devices and internet connec- tions, their ability to access information increases. The library is no longer the sole source of information and knowledge. It is a center for community interaction. The library will continue to evolve as a place for both information and people from all social, political, economic, religious, intellectual, and cultural backgrounds. Solid - void Enclosure Spaces within USES library social service circulation South Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" North Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" west Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" EAST Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" Perspectives B. East - west section looking north: 3/32" = 1'0"A. North - south section looking east 3/32" = 1'0" multi-purpose room storage cafe & friends of the library book shopstaff work areamech. children's area young adultmag. & per. circ desk self check covered “green- house” outdoor play space viewing garden (tsuboniwa style) E E staff work area storage adult fiction adult non-fiction new books & media large print meeting room meeting room meeting room E E children's area computer area community multi-purpose room arranged for a performance main access route + + Performance! = + + = + + storytime! =+ arrangements for the multi-purpose room Studio 584 - SCI springfield library - fall 2011 - gunraj computers removeable partition walls*A B N A B Figure 1: Today’s modern public libraries are very different from those that came before (Jessica Gunraj). 10 Site Analysis The site chosen for the studio is located on the block directly across the street from the library’s current location, bounded by B Street to the north, A Street to the south, North 4th Street to the west, and North 5th Street to the east. An alley crosses the middle of the block, running east-west. There are four lots located on the site, two of which are owned outright by the city, and two of which are owned by the Neighborhood Economic Development Corporation (NEDCO). The two lots on the north side of the block are parking lots. Students were told that an abandoned office building that occupies the southeast corner would be demolished to make way for the new library. A church sits on the southwest corner, and current plans call for NEDCO to transform it into a farmer’s market and food distribution center called “Sprout”. Transportation & Parking Lane Transit District (LTD) buses stop on North 5th Street and A Street. LTD’s bus rapid transit system, the Emerald Express (EmX), has stops at the Springfield Bus Station two blocks to the south. The library program did not include on-site parking for library patrons, as the current library parking lot, located directly across North 5th Street, is expected to continue to serve the new library. A few parking spots for staff and people with disabilities were recommended. springfield oregon LIBRARY SITE (NEDCO) NEIGHBORHOOD ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION CURRENT SITE OF LIBRARY JUSTICE CENTER CITY HALL (EMX) BUS STATION BOOTH KELLY COMPLEX Figure 2: The site is located at the heart of downtown Springfield (Collin Janke). 11 Adjacent Properties The site location is ideal for establishing a strong and identifiable civic center for Springfield. Its location is in the heart of downtown, adjacent to two major existing civic amenities, City Hall and the Justice Center, and the site shares the block with another soon-to-be developed amenity, NEDCO’s farmer’s market and food distribution center. By leaving one of the lots open or mostly open to be developed into a plaza, this civic identity can be further reinforced with a large public open space. Directly north of the site is the start of a residential neighborhood, and as the downtown area grows and expands with denser development, more people will be living there—all of whom will have a library within close walking distance. Program Analysis To accommodate Springfield’s anticipated population growth, the library will need to measure the increased demand on building resources, including collection volume and shelving space, to establish a minimum square footage. Rob Everett recommended several calculators, including Standards for Oregon Public Libraries (Oregon Library Association 2010) and Public Library Space Needs (Dahlgren 2009). For more information on the specific area designated for each part of the program, please see [Appendix A]. Baseline Rob Everett used state standards to estimate library space requirements based on Springfield’s projected population growth over a 20-year period. This calculation established an initial program area of 60,000 gross sq. ft. of space. Rob Everett and Professor Hille decided to reduce the program area to 45,000 gross sq. ft. to meet current needs, with provision for an additional 15,000 gross sq. ft. of phased development for future expansion. This was done to maximize opportunities for site and building development, given the area and configuration of the site, and the library’s maximum recommended height of two stories. Zones Students worked within the parameters of providing spaces for adults, teens, children, staff, and “flex” or community space. Functional adjacencies and circulation between each space were carefully considered, especially those between the staff work areas and the book stacks. Students used the orientation of the book stacks and furniture as well as daylighting to create clear circulation throughout the library. The Design Proposals section of this report illustrates how the program works in parts and as a whole. 12 Flexible Community Space The program called for a significant amount of community space. This could come in a multitude of forms, including meeting rooms, gallery / exhibition space, a cafe, or a performance area. Most design schemes included a flexible space that could accommodate a wide range of event types including business fairs, recitals, readings, presentations, videos, live performance, and ceremonies. In the spirit of a contemporary library, the flexible space becomes a dynamic, changeable, user-modifiable, permeable space that can be opened and closed. A flexible space has the potential to be accessible when the rest of the library is closed, to accommodate the diverse community demand. Critical adjacencies for the flexible space included the children’s space for overflow, spontaneous activities, an outdoor space that the flexible space could open up onto for fair-weather events, and proximate access to a cafe for event catering. Stacks Students considered standardized book stack dimensions of 3’ for aisle, 3’ wide book case and variable book case height. Designs also explored various groupings of stacks and their ability to organize space and be experienced as partial walls. Students coordinated building structure with book stack dimensions to organize circulation throughout the library. Building scheme types encouraged different stack organizations. For example, long, linear schemes encouraged more linear stack organization (as seen in Andrew Cohen’s scheme in Figure 20), while other students pursued pods of stacks that could be more casually explored. In the Children’s area, most students explored stacks with deeper sections for larger books, and lower shelf heights to more appropriately scale the space to the children’s world. The Library of the future The Library of the past UP UP UP DN DN DN Many speculate that technology and the rise of digital devices foreshadow the death of printed texts and subsequently, the antiquation of the library. n. (pl. -brar-ies) a building or room containing collections of books, periodicals, and sometimes films and recorded music for people to read, borrow, or refer to. Li •brar •y /lƯޙbrerƝ/ first floor: 1 /16 " =1'0" second floor: 1 /16 " =1'0" The library of today is more than a warehouse for books or a temple of knowledge. As the World Wide Web expands and more people gain access to digital devices and internet connec- tions, their ability to access information increases. The library is no longer the sole source of information and knowledge. It is a center for community interaction. The library will continue to evolve as a place for both information and people from all social, political, economic, religious, intellectual, and cultural backgrounds. Solid - void Enclosure Spaces within USES library social service circulation South Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" North Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" west Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" EAST Elevation: 1 /16 " =1'0" Perspectives B. East - west section looking north: 3/32" = 1'0"A. North - south section looking east 3/32" = 1'0" multi-purpose room storage cafe & friends of the library book shopstaff work areamech. children's area young adultmag. & per. circ desk self check covered “green- house” outdoor play space viewing garden (tsuboniwa style) E E staff work area storage adult fiction adult non-fiction new books & media large print meeting room meeting room meeting room E E children's area computer area community multi-purpose room arranged for a performance main access route + + Performance! = + + = + + storytime! =+ arrangements for the multi-purpose room Studio 584 - SCI springfield library - fall 2011 - gunraj computers removeable partition walls*A B N A B Figure 3: The flexible community space is intended to be used for a variety of different purposes determined by library needs (Jessica Gunraj). 13 Staff Work Areas: Centrally Located Work Areas, Dispersed Checkpoints, and Floating Islands The staff work area was the programmatic area of the library most challenging for the students. We considered the sequence of book circulation, and the area’s requirements for staff service and user interface. The location of the circulation desk was a critical consideration relative to the entry, as proper proximity allowed for security of books and other circulating materials. Centralized staff work areas for “behind the scenes” work were balanced with the need for daylighting to boost morale and staff health. Staff work areas on both floors were considered as well as the requirement for the staging of books for re-shelving. Dispersed checkpoints would allow staff to “float” through the library and have stations that would let them access digital information, informally engage visitors, and organize materials. Private to Public: Nooks to Open Reading Rooms The library is a place to gather and participate in a civic tradition. However, within that civic space, the inclusion of gradients from private space to public space allows individuals to choose the type and level of civic engagement they are comfortable with. For example, some students developed thick edges in transition areas to allow for nook seating that could look out over larger, more public space. In the public spaces, some students included more transitory seating for browsing, and for chance encounters with periodicals, movies, and digital media. The transition spaces between the interior and the exterior of the building envelope proved to be fertile ground for in-between spaces that encourage rest and observations. Three Floor Limit: Pros and Cons of Two or More Floors Students were encouraged to work within a two-story envelope to minimize staffing needs. However, several schemes pursued three-story buildings, reducing the building’s ground floor footprint to accommodate on-site parking, a plaza, and future building expansion space. Building up instead of out also allowed for more expansive double-height atrium spaces that could accommodate stack ventilation and improved daylighting. Security The library contains a wealth of text-based and digital material that requires responsible stewardship. To that end, students explored the possibility of balancing an open building envelope that encourages interior and exterior connections with providing responsible security thresholds between the checkout desk and the entries and exits. 14 Design Proposals: North–South Building Orientation The North-South building orientation creates a building footprint that spans from A Street to B Street, with a long edge along North 5th Street. The major facade of the building faces east, while the shorter side of the facade shares A Street with the church. Benefits of the North-South orientation include creating a strong, urban, pedestrian-friendly edge that is shared with the existing City Hall. The North-South buildings make a social gesture by connecting the Washburne neighborhood with the civic center of Springfield. The formal directionality of the North-South orientation allows for a habitable street edge and potential for focused entry to the library from the north and south. Several schemes chose to reinforce the visual connection between downtown and the Washburne district by making atrium slices through the building in the north/south direction, as seen in Anthony Hasenberg’s project (below). SCALE: 1/16” = 1’-0” B ST. AST. 5 ST . TH4 ST . TH N Figure 4: First floor plan (Anthony Hasenberg). 15 In Anthony Hasenberg’s design (see Figure 4) we see more organic flowing circulation space in the north/south direction. In this scheme, the entry to the library can be located on the corner of North 4th and A Streets, along the edge, or on the north side, facing the Washburne neighborhood. A North- South oriented building is primarily daylit from the east and west, causing large fluctuations in daylighting quality due to the path of the sun from east to west. This orientation requires a fine-tuned response to daylight through the use of exterior shading to prevent glare. Students with North-South oriented schemes came up with several solutions to modulate the light for an improved reading experience. Connections between the library and City Hall are strong, but the connection between Sprout and City Hall is limited. A North-South orientation places Sprout’s outdoor space on the northwest side of the library, sharing North 4th Street with the Justice Center. A North-South orientation blocks the east/west egress through the alley on this block, but does allow for north/south alley and utility access. One reviewer of the projects suggested that Springfield already has a great deal of open space, and a plaza located directly next door. The reviewer called into question the need for a plaza located in the southeast corner of the site. This insight also brings to light the potential to create a compact, dense, metropolitan-scaled streetscape that accommodates spontaneous, informal social engagements on the southeast corner, as opposed to a more formal, expansive civic plaza. North-South oriented schemes attempted to accommodate social activity on the southeast side of the building by locating the coffee shop, entry, and lobby spaces there. 16 Schemes Scot Jahn’s scheme aims to create a link between the Justice Center and City Hall through the central core of the library. The entry on the east side is glazed and opens into an atrium with a glazed roof and view corridor. Running perpendicular to the east/west view corridor is another view connecting the Washburne neighborhood to the southern retail downtown district. Apertures in Scott’s scheme on the east and west side include wide eaves to moderate the strong morning and afternoon sun. Windows are operable, allowing for natural ventilation during summer months. The atria also provide ample, even daylighting to the core of the building, providing both a connection to surrounding context and daylighting for a positive reading experience. Expansion of Scott’s library would occur on the northwest open space on the site. Figure 5: Second floor plan (Scot Jahn). 17 Figure 6: Looking north in the second floor reading room (Scot Jahn). Figure 7: Looking north through the main reading room on the first floor (Scot Jahn). 18 Anthony Hasenberg employed a curvilinear approach to circulation and treatment of forms in space (Figures 9-12). The seed for his library scheme grows from the shape of the McKenzie drift boat, originally designed and built by a Springfield resident and the City of Springfield’s official symbol. The drift boats manifest themselves as skylights, placed asymmetrically over the atriums that are defined by a meandering river of circulation. Hasenberg accommodates the program within the orthogonal box on the exterior, and infills with organic shapes on the interior to realize a more organic character for the Springfield library. Figure 8: Bird’s-eye view looking east showing the new library and proposed NEDCO food distribution center (Image used courtesy NEDCO) 19 Figure 9: The drift boat in Springfield’s logo influenced the roof form (Anthony Hasenberg). Figure 10: The surrounding Oregon forests influenced the arrangement of structure (Anthony Hasenberg). “Figure 11: The curvilinear circulation path was inspired by the two rivers surrounding Springfield.influenced the arrangement of structure (Anthony Hasenberg). Figure 12: The resulting library was a combination of all these influences (Anthony Hasenberg). 20 Design Proposals: East–West Building Orientation The majority of students in the studio placed their libraries on the northern half of the site, running east to west. This left an open lot in the southeast corner of the block to be developed into a plaza across from City Hall. Most of these students stayed within the lot boundaries, keeping the mid-block alley open and accessible for service access. (Those designs that crossed the boundary are classified as “L-shaped” and are discussed in the next section.) Orienting the building this way allowed some students to create entrances on both the north and south sides of the library, which open more or less directly into a main lobby, although such an arrangement might present some security issues. Another issue with this orientation is the building’s relationship to the adjacent Justice Center, which would lose a direct visual connection to City Hall. Linear Schemes Orienting the building along the East-West axis made it a logical choice to create a linear scheme, in which there is one clear central space, usually an atrium connecting multiple floors, that stretches the length of the building and acts as the major circulation area for the library. Rooms and other areas are directly adjacent to this main area. 16 17 7 18 19 3 2 1 4 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Figure 13: First floor plan (Alex Dykes). 21 Alex Dykes created a linear scheme with a central atrium space containing a reading area and a large central stair. Alex’s scheme provides a strong visual connection from south to north at several spots in the library, as well as across floors by using light wells. Large spaces off of the major east-west axis contain major program areas, while the smaller, in-between places hold reading areas. Two-story windows bring in light, while an overhanging roof directs water and provides controlled shading. A southern plaza is dominated by a large pond for holding rainwater runoff, with steps to one side to help it serve as an amphitheater. Figure 15: Looking West through the children’s section (Alex Dykes). Figure 14: Looking north from the plaza to the main entrance (Alex Dykes). 22 Anna Liu’s scheme was designed with the intention of telling the story of water in Springfield. As in Alex Dykes’s design, a plaza to the south features a pond, though in the case of Anna’s library, water cascades off of the roof and into the water retention system. These stepped roofs create a series of high windows to the second floor and the central space. A linear circulation scheme leads from service spaces, past stacks, and out to a children’s playground. On the second floor, circulation parallels this axis and visitors can look down to the first floor. The main stairway is located just past the media and new releases by the front door to the south, and a meeting room and exhibition space is to the north. Figure 16: Ground floor plan (Anna Liu). 23 Figure 18: Looking northwest across the plaza to the main entrance (Anna Liu). Figure 17: Bird’s-eye view looking northwest, showing the library and plaza (Anna Liu). 24 Andrew Cohen’s scheme is one of the clearest examples of an east-west linear scheme. Meeting and reading spaces are located on the south side of the building, next to a central atrium containing stairs and services and doubling as a gathering space. To the north is a long space containing the stacks, and on the very northern edge are reading areas, which take advantage of the even daylight. By creating a split-level library, Andrew was able to decrease the size of the building footprint while maintaining sightlines inside the library, although it becomes slightly more difficult to connect across the central space. Figure 19: Bird’s-eye view looking northwest, showing the library and plaza (Andrew Cohen). Figure 20: Library - first floor plan. (Andrew Cohen). 25 Flex Community RoomFlex Community Room Staff Offices Youth Services Non-Fiction Fiction Figure 21: Section perspective looking west (Andrew Cohen). Figure 22: Looking west through the atrium (Andrew Cohen). 26 Eric Petrie placed staff and utility areas on the ground floor to the north, reserving the space to the south for program areas. The main entrance is to the south, while entrances on the east and west sides of the library mark the ends of the main circulation. Program areas overlap instead of having clear edges. A three-story central space contains media, technology services, and a checkout desk on the first floor and provides ventilation and daylight for much of the library. Overhead doors on either side open to a cafe and bookstore on one side and a multi-purpose room on the other, which also has overhead doors opening to a courtyard on the west side of the library. The upper floors, reached by a large stairway, contain stacks toward the center and reading areas on the northern edge or in places from which people can overlook other parts of the library. UP UP UP UP 27 Figure 25: Looking east through the media lobby (Eric Petrie). Figure 26: Looking south from the mezzanine through the media lobby (Eric Petrie). Figure 27: Mezzanine looking west through the youth area (Eric Petrie).