Archinect - News

10 libraries, schools, and learning environments we liked this week

2024-04-13T08:00:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Fariborz Maseeh Hall at Portland State University in Portland, OR, by Hacker Architects; Photo: Pete Eckert

↑ Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library in New York, NY, by Mecanoo and Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners; Photo: Max Touhey

↑ The Wizard of Oz | KINCANG Modern Pre-School in Shaoxing, China, by LYCS Architecture

↑ Flathead Valley Community College, Wachholz College Center in Kalispell, MT, by Cushing Terrell; Photo: Longview Studios

↑ Greenwich Village School Green Roof—PS41 in New York, NY, by MBB Architects; Photo: Charles de Vaivre

↑ Pinghe Bibliotheater in Shanghai, China, by OPEN Architecture

↑ Hi...

Mecanoo revives Scotland’s past into a new source of community pride

2024-04-08T17:26:00-04:00

Mecanoo has shared the news of its completed transformation of the Perth Museum in central Scotland.

The three-year construction yields 37,700 square feet worth of new public space inside of the Edwardian-style former City Hall that serviced the community from 1914 on. A specially carved Vennels-inspired intervention connects the two separate halls, framed by two new portals made from Black Isle timber and finished with a bronze casing.

Image credit: Greg Holmes Photography

Visitors will be welcomed into the brightly-lit new Main Hall archives space by a dramatic oak box container for the mythical returned Scottish Stone of Destiny. The adjacent Lesser Hall is thereafter recreated as a new communal space with larger windows and replete with a café and events venue.

Image credit: Greg Holmes Photography

This creates new panoramic views of the St. Johns Kirk church outside. Artifacts taken from the Jacobite period are on display within, including the silver broadsword used by Bonnie Pr...

Snøhetta unveils newly completed Beijing City Library design

2024-02-26T19:31:00-05:00

Snøhetta has shared new photos of its completed Beijing City Library design in the Chinese capital.

What is billed by the team to be the "world's largest climatized reading space" is composed of a glass curtain wall fronted by a forest of sculptural columns resembling ginko trees in a design that harkens the natural landscape to affect an "emotional connection" between people, books, and the environment.

Photo: Yumeng Zhu

Snøhetta says this is meant to challenge contemporary thinking on libraries and to disabuse designers (and critics) of the notion that the typology has become largely outmoded in the digital age.

Photo: Yumeng Zhu

Located in the city’s Tongzhou District, the library design was born out of a 2018 competition that paired the firm with local studio ECADI. Their effort was replete with integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) construction elements and other features aiming to reduce solar gain. This combines with the use of locally sourced construction materials...

A submerged Japanese library by Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP as a ‘tranquil place’ for reading and rest

2023-11-29T11:53:00-05:00

Japan-based Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP has offered a look inside their recently completed Library of the Earth. Situated in the Japanese city of Kisarazu, and completed in April 2022, the library is described by the firm as “the library for the farmers, plowing the fields on sunny days and reading books on rainy days.”

Image credit: Koji Fujii / TOREAL

Located in the corner of an active agricultural site, the scheme saw Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP transform a debris-laced plot into a “lush valley.” At the core of the project is a submerged library designed with the principle that “architecture should not occupy the cultivated soil layer but rather exist humbly under the flourishing of plants and microorganisms in the soil.”

Plan credit: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP

Section credit: Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP

“The earth has been regarded as the source of all life and a symbol of motherhood,” the team explains. “Our wish was to make a small cleft in the earth and create a tr...

Glazed extensions flank Montreal’s historic Maisonneuve Library following major EVOQ renovation

2023-11-24T16:15:00-05:00

Montreal’s Maisonneuve Library has reopened to the public following a major restoration and expansion of the historic building. Dating from 1912, and once serving as a city hall, the building’s transformation was led by Montreal-based EVOQ Architecture and Dan Hanganu Architects, now part of EVOQ, following a 2017 competition win.

Image credit: Adrien Williams

At the center of the project is the original 1912 building, which was rehabilitated to restore its “original splendor.” The building’s stone facades and oversized doors were restored, as were original plaster moldings, wood paneling, and mosaic floors. Meanwhile, anchoring elements of the interior such as the piano nobile’s marble staircase and its two imposing stained-glass features were repaired.

Image credit: Adrien Williams

The existing building is flanked by two contemporary extension wings. The alignment of the extension’s curtain walls, as well as the rhythm of its...

The new Sunset Park Library & Apartments bookend New York City's push for affordable housing

2023-11-21T14:20:00-05:00

A unique project addressing the need for affordable housing and library services has debuted in central Brooklyn with the completion of the recent Sunset Park Library & Apartments renovation from Magnusson Architecture and Planning and Mitchell Giurgola.

The project establishes a new 49-unit housing development in addition to an existing single-story structure from the 1970s. The program entails adding a six-story, 50,000-square-foot residential component above the now 20,000-square-foot library, which is expanded to twice its original size. The new building stands at eight stories in total, topped by a 45-kW rooftop PV array.

Image courtesy Brooklyn Public Library

“The Sunset Park Library and Apartments is a crowning achievement that tackles essential community needs and affordable living at a time when New York must urgently address its housing crisis. This historic collaboration between the Brooklyn Public Library and Fifth Avenue Committee exemplifies visionary leadership and pru...

Architect Stefano Boeri faces bid-rigging allegations in Milan’s BEIC design competition

2023-10-12T19:53:00-04:00

Architect Stefano Boeri has responded to charges of alleged bid-rigging in relation to his role as the jury chair for a 2022 competition to design the new European Library of Information and Culture (BEIC) in Milan.

The 66-year-old Boeri told the Italian news agency ANSA this week, “I am calm and confirm my complete willingness to cooperate with the competent authorities to provide all the information in my possession in order to clarify a situation that I find unbelievable,” before saying he would not provide any further comments at this time.

The allegations were made public as news of an investigation on the part of local tax police broke earlier in the week. Boeri’s role in the investigation remains unclear, however, the “conflict of interest” at the center of the case reportedly includes “false declarations regarding the identity or personal qualities of oneself or others.” The connection architects Angelo Raffaele Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi, whose firm Onsitestudio was awar...

Snøhetta's Charlotte Mecklenburg Library officially breaks ground

2023-08-24T17:07:00-04:00

Snøhetta’s Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (CML) project officially broke ground on August 15th in North Carolina with a demolition celebration of the existing Main Library building. Designed in collaboration with Clark Nexsen, the new library aims to become a major destination and centerpiece in Uptown Charlotte.

“We wanted to celebrate this demolition to mark the start of a new beginning in Uptown Charlotte,” said CML CEO Marcellus Turner. “From the café to the community living room and the technology hub to the destination reading room, the new Main Library will be an inviting place to learn, grow and engage with others in our community.”

The facility stands at the head of Charlotte’s public library system, which consists of 21 branch libraries that welcome 3.4 million visitors each year. It aims to transcend its use as a conventional library by also serving as a public commons. The project is supported by funding from Mecklenburg County and a major investment by the Knight Founda...

Five culturally integrative California libraries by Johnson Favaro: Your Next Employer?

2023-05-15T15:31:00-04:00

Following last week’s visit to Beijing-based OPEN Architecture, we are moving our Meet Your Next Employer series to California this week, where we explore the work of Johnson Favaro.

Established in 1988, and based in Culver City, the planning and design firm has amassed a portfolio anchored by schools, libraries, community centers, and other cultural and civic typologies. Reflecting on their commitment to educational and cultural schemes, the firm believes that “high quality and inspiring architecture in support of the social infrastructure of which these institutions are a part is crucial in the advancement of our democracy and civil society.”

Over on Archinect Jobs, the firm is currently hiring a Design Associate to join its Culver City office. For candidates interested in applying for the position, or anybody interested in learning more about the studio’s work, we have rounded up five completed libraries by Johnson Favaro that demonstrates their design approach.

Manhattan Beach L...

KieranTimberlake completes three-year Folger Shakespeare Library revamp

2023-04-26T16:40:00-04:00

Washington, D.C.’s Folger Shakespeare Library has set an opening date following a three-year $80 million renovation led by KieranTimberlake.

November 17th will mark the public reopening of the collecting institution, which was founded in 1932 by Standard Oil executive Henry Clay Folger. The project seeks to revamp the library’s aging Capitol Hill facilities while constructing a new, 12,000-square-foot underground wing that will supplement the overhauled original Paul Cret design with two large exhibition spaces, a learning lab, and a new gift store.

Image courtesy Studio Joseph

Landscaping design by OLIN will complete the program with a set of surrounding gardens to the site’s east and west orientations. Native plants and vegetation inspired by the bard’s long oeuvre welcome visitors into the revamped existing space, which now features the learning lab, a set of new study rooms, and exhibition designs by Studio Joseph and Studio A.

Image courtesy Studio Joseph

Retained bas-reliefs hav...

Heatherwick Studio unveils first public library design in Howard County, Maryland

2023-03-31T17:07:00-04:00

Heatherwick Studio has released details of their first commissioned public library project in the town of Columbia, Maryland.

Featuring a climbable façade, the five-story library opens to the city’s main promenade with a double-height atrium and a series of transversing exterior terraces lined with native plant species while providing sweeping views of nearby Lake Kittamaqundi.

The studio says its design is meant to “reflect the changed role of the library and serve a community with a rich heritage of fostering diversity and promoting wellbeing.”

Image: Devisual for Heatherwick Studio

Columbia was first developed as a planned community under the progressive vision of founder James Rouse, a prominent local developer known for espousing his conception of “cities as gardens for the growing of people.” Their contribution, therefore, looks to honor this legacy and will serve as a font for educational programs and other activities in line with Rouse’s philosophy.

Image: Devisual for Heat...

Snøhetta unveils green design for new Westchester Square Library in the Bronx

2022-12-19T16:24:00-05:00

Snøhetta has recently unveiled designs for a new 12,000-square-foot library project in the Bronx’s Westchester Square it says will expand on the diverse neighborhood’s lineage as a “place where knowledge is acquired and shared for generations to come.”

The new building for the New York Public Library (NYPL) branch is sited next to the historic 131-year-old Huntington Free Library, will come wrapped in a pastoral print fritted glass facade in reference to the Bronx’s status as NYC’s greenest borough and target a LEED Platinum certification through an environmental strategy that includes an array of solar panels, rainwater recycling, a high-performance envelope, and slate of energy conservation measures.

Its two-story interior is organized around a need for natural light in educational spaces and the desire to frame a street-level exterior Viewing Garden that serves as a “counterpoint to the surrounding urban landscape” while adding “visual interest to the indoor experience.”

Image co...

Niall McLaughlin Architects wins the 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize for The New Library, Magdalene College

2022-10-13T16:17:00-04:00

Niall McLaughlin Architects has been awarded the 2022 Stirling Prize by the RIBA. Given each year to the UK’s best new building, the winning scheme was unveiled at an event at RIBA headquarters in London. The firm was awarded the prize for their The New Library, Magdalene College — the first college to win the Stirling Prize.

The new library, open 24 hours a day, incorporates an archive and an art gallery to become a new node in the 700-year-old campus. The library replaces the "cramped study spaces" of an adjacent 17th-century library and extends the campus' quadrangular arrangement of buildings and courts that have gradually developed from the historic college site.

Photo © Nick Kane

"A brief to create a college library with a lifespan of 400 years — to replace a library gifted to Magdalene by Samuel Pepys 300 years previously — is no small task," RIBA shared. "Niall McLaughlin Architects have certainly risen to the challenge with this deft and inspiring temple to learning."

Photo ...

A ‘pillar in the reconciliation of Indigenous and Western ways of living and building’ — design reveals a new public library in Saskatchewan

2022-10-12T21:21:00-04:00

A joint team of Formline, Chevalier Morales, and Montreal’s Architecture49 has revealed its design for a new library project in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

The firms say the project is conceived as a “pillar in the reconciliation of Indigenous and Western ways of living and building” that will serve as an important precedent as the first “major public building” in an area with the highest ratio of Indigenous residents of any other major city in the country.

The new central library will link to the nearby Remai Modern Gallery and several small shops near the site to form a small new cultural hub along Second Avenue. The design team says it was directed by the city’s relatively low park-to-person ratio in the selection of form, materials, and the arrangement of public spaces in and around the 142,000-square-foot structure. Overall, some 45% of the site will include landscaped public spaces punctuated by the building's oval footprint.

Image courtesy Formline, Chevalier Morales, and Archi...

Explore Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects' new Shanghai Library East, one of the largest libraries in the world

2022-10-04T16:50:00-04:00

A massive cultural project from Perkins&Will’s Danish affiliate Schmidt Hammer Lassen Architects (SHL) has just debuted in Shanghai. The project provides the city with a "new civic landmark" in the form of what is now one of the largest contemporary libraries in the world.

The form and materiality of the new Shanghai Library East is inspired by ancient Chinese scholars’ Taihu stones and has the capacity to support 4 million visitors and more than 1,200 lectures, seminars, performances, and events annually. Its design is responsive to the changing role modern libraries have in society and boasts that a total of 80% of its space is dedicated to community-enhancing activities.

Image © RawVision.

In October 2017, a year after SHL had won the international competition bid to design the Shanghai East Library, Archienct reported that the project held its official groundbreaking ceremony on September 27, 2017. Five years later, the library opened its doors to the community.

Chris Hardie, de...

Ukraine's libraries acting as hubs for sheltering, psychological support, and even camouflage classes

2022-03-10T15:42:00-05:00

Libraries are playing vital roles in supporting Ukraine's war effort from giving families shelters during Russian bombing raids to making camouflage nets for the military and countering disinformation.

As reported by NPR, libraries across Ukraine are brimming with activity, full of librarians, readers, refugees, and volunteers. In addition to serving as bomb shelters, they’re hosting the production of camouflage nets for the military, along with home care courses. Libraries are also bringing in specialists to provide psychological help to residents.

Below is a video of the conditions in a children’s library in Mykolaiv, where you can see people sheltering and children amidst the library’s aisles reading books.

New photos of Mecanoo's refurbished Mies-designed Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in D.C.

2021-11-19T17:47:00-05:00

Mecanoo has shared updated imagery of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library in Washington, D.C. the firm revamped together with OTJ Architects.

Photographers Robert Benson and Trent Bell have provided new photos detailing the modernization of the landmark building that was completed in 1972 as Mies van der Rohe’s only library design and final act as an architect.

Following a three-year transformation, the library opened to the public on September 25th but has gone largely undocumented thanks to restrictions over the coronavirus, which shut out much of the renovated areas from public view since its official reopening in October 2020.

Scroll down to have a look at a selection of the latest photos and learn more about the project here.

Image © Trent Bell

Image © Robert Benson

Image © Trent Bell

Image © Robert Benson

...

Gould Evans receives 6th Chicago Athenaeum Award with adaptive reuse library project

2021-11-15T15:21:00-05:00

Gould Evans is no stranger to executing award-winning library and community-focused projects as a nationally recognized architecture and design firm. From the expansion of the 1970's Brutalist-style Lawrence Public Library to the renovations of New Orleans Public Libraries, the team at Gould Evans just added another prize-winning library project to their portfolio, the Olathe Indian Creek Public Library.

The building has received accolades like the Honor Award by AIA Kansas City for its concept of developing a hub for "community and content creation — instead of only content consumption." On November 4, it was announced that the firm received its 6th Chicago Athenaeum Award for the Kansas-based project. The institution's American Architectural Awards program highlights new and "cutting-edge" design projects within the United States.

Image © Michael Robinson/Courtesy of Gould Evans

The firm's Associate Principal Sean Zaudke shared: "Libraries of today are no longer about books or ma...

The new Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library opens in the heart of Midtown Manhattan

2021-06-04T12:55:00-04:00

A transformed Midtown Manhattan library building, long considered to be an eyesore, is finally open to the public after the Covid-19 pandemic and a $200 million renovation project left its doors shuttered for four years.

Renamed the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, what used to be the New York Public Library’s Mid-Manhattan branch, the facility sits on a corner of Fifth Avenue opposite the library’s flagship Stephen A. Schwarzman Building in a former department store. According to the 126-year-old institution, the SASB sees a system-topping 1.7 million visitors a year.

Beyer Blinder Belle teamed with acclaimed library restorationist Francine Houben of the Dutch firm Mecanoo to completely overhaul all eight floors of the Bryant Park building thanks in part to a $55 million grant from the Niarchos Foundation.

Photo: John Bartelstone

The resulting 20,000 square feet of added space come in the form of expanded reading areas separated on three floors by a linea...

AIA/ALA announces winners of the 2021 Library Building Awards

2021-05-14T18:28:00-04:00

Five projects have been named as winners of the AIA/ALA’s 2021 Library Building Awards, the organizations announced jointly on Wednesday.

Led by the new Valente Library in Cambridge, the quintet of honorees highlights a mix of both new building and renovation characterized by an incorporation of social practice that has dominated library building in recent years.

Valente Library in Cambridge, MA by William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc. Photo: Robert Benson Photography.

The William Rawn Associates-designed building opened in 2019 and features a bocce court and inviting glazed facade that anchors a crescent-shaped plaza in the heart of the city’s diverse Inman Square neighborhood. Its focus as a community center that provides on-site conference rooms, strong Wi-Fi, and expanded shelf space is made possible thanks to the new 10,000-square-foot branch, which is nearly twice ...

The LA Public Library is now providing limited in-person services

2021-05-04T18:09:00-04:00

Today, the Los Angeles Public Library begins a phased reopening of its iconic Central Library in downtown Los Angeles, as well as 37 other branches. The library branches reopening today will offer limited in-person services including quick browsing, computer access, mobile printing orders, and checking out library materials. Virus protocols include limited building capacities up 75%, depending on the location.

The Los Angeles Public Library released a list of the location and hours of the sites reopening. Following a reservation, computers will be available at branches for an hour at a time. No reservation is required at the Central Library, but visitors will be limited to 30 minutes of use. The "Library To Go" contactless pickup services, that allow individuals to safely pickup and drop off items curbside, will also continue.

This is the second phase of the library’s reopening plan after all branches closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

10 libraries and reading spaces we liked this week

2021-03-26T14:41:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Learning Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ The Church in Sag Harbor, NY by SKOLNICK Architecture + Design Partnership

↑ The Grolier Club in New York, NY by Ann Beha Architects; Photo: Michael Moran

↑ Cruzen-Murray Academic Library, College of Idaho in Caldwell, ID by Richärd Kennedy Architects; Associate Architect: McKibben + Cooper; Photo: Gabe Border Photography

↑ NLL Children's Library in Riga, Latvia by GAISS; Illustrations: Rūta Briede; Photo: Ansis Starks

↑ Earl G. Graves School of Business & Management in Baltimore, MD by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF); Architect of Record: Ayers Saint Gross; Photo: Tim Griffith

↑ <OOZOORO 1216> : Tween Section...

House of Wisdom, by Foster + Partners, opens in Sharjah, UAE

2021-03-19T18:13:00-04:00

Foster + Partners recently cut the ribbon for the House of Wisdom in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. The project is a modern library concept designed as a transparent, rectangular volume with a floating, cantilevered roof. A new cultural district has been developed in this emirate of Sharjah.

Sharjah is the third-largest city in the UAE. This is the only emirate that is blessed to be geographically positioned near the Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, and several port towns.

In 2019, UNESCO voted the emirate of Sharjah as the World Book Capital.

The tallest focal point of the House of Wisdom is on the north side. It is a modern, vertical, spiraling magnificence of a Scroll sculpture. Ancient Arabic scrolls are protected by rolled steel plates due to the extreme hot climate and sandstorms. The scrolls are positioned centrally in front of the House, inside a formal circle of landscaping, as a “knowledge garden”.

On the west side, a central courtyard welcomes one into the main entrance ...

10 new architectural spaces designed for kids

2021-03-19T13:26:00-04:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Kids Spaces.

Tip: use the handy FOLLOW feature to easily keep up-to-date with all your favorite Archinect profiles.

↑ Kids Barbershop "ByBliss" in Odessa, Ukraine by JK Lab Architects; Photo: Natalia Nagorna

↑ NLL Children's Library in Riga, Latvia by GAISS; Illustrations: Rūta Briede; Photo: Ansis Starks

↑ Playground in the outdoor gallery "Walking in the Clouds" in Suwon, South Korea by EUS+ARCHITECTS; Photo: Myungho Kang

↑ Bookend House in Santa Monica, CA by ORA (Oonagh Ryan Architects Inc.)

↑ Park School in Mortsel, Belgium by Binst Architects; Environmental Construction: TV Thiers – Dujardin Landschapsarchitecten

↑ Peninsula Residence in San Francisco, CA by Richard Beard Architects; Interior Design: Kelly Hohla Interiors; Pho...

MAD's 'Wormhole Library' tops out

2021-02-09T17:34:00-05:00

Designed by Ma Yansong's team at MAD Architects, the intriguing new Wormhole Library in Haikou, the capital of the Chinese province of Hainan, recently celebrated its topping-out milestone. The structure sits within the city's Century Park along the Haikou Bay coastline, allowing visitors spectacular views of the sea.

The building is conceived as a multi-functional facility with a 7,430-square-foot reading space, cafe and terrace as well as a 3,230-square-foot public rest area accommodating a bicycle parking system, public bathrooms, and shower areas.

Image: Agovision/MAD.

"The intimately scaled structure is cast of white concrete as a unit," explains MAD's project description. "The curved concrete walls not only serve as an organic architectural structure but also connect the ceiling, ground, and walls together."

Image: Agovision/MAD.

"Holes of varying sizes allow the architecture to breathe, while also letting natural light flood the interior. The grey spaces o...

OPEN completes new library/theater hybrid building for an international school in Shanghai

2021-01-21T13:02:00-05:00

As part of its work on the Shanhai Qinpu Pinghe International School, OPEN Architecture has completed the Pinghe Bibliotheater, a library/theater hybrid building that invites students into a free-flowing space of both learning and performance.

Photos by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

"When we were given the extensive and jumbled-together program of a new school for 2000 students aged from 3 to 18 years, the immediate reaction was how dreadful it would be for a kid spending these many years fixed in one building," said the architects in a statement. "We decided to break away from the current trend of school-as-megastructure. Instead, the original program was deconstructed and grouped into many smaller and distinctive buildings, forming a village-like campus."

Photo by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Photo by WU Qingshan.

The Bibliotheater is just one of the many structures that will make up the new school. The different programs interlock like a "Chinese puzzle," creating a singular massing that is con...

MAD Architects' "Wormhole Library" offers open-air performance space

2020-08-10T13:40:00-04:00

MAD Architects, led by Ma Yansong, have released the design of the Wormhole Library, which will sit on the coast in Haikou, Hainan Province in China. The library will serve as a multi-functional building that will invite visitors to enjoy views of the sea, read through a collection of about 10,000 books, and attend open-air performances.

The project comes as a response to the local government's rejuvenation plan for Haikou Bay to enhance the use of public space along the coastline. As a part of the project, a series of pavilions by a number of local and international architects are currently under planning and the Wormhole Library will be the first to be completed.

The building is a large structure cast as a single piece of white concrete, giving the architecture an aesthetic characteristic similar to that of a wormhole, with its curving organic geometries. The building is being cast using both a CNC and 3D-printed model to ensure accuracy and mitigate any margins for error.

Even th...

What will the future hold for libraries as they reopen?

2020-06-23T12:59:00-04:00

As restaurants and business across the nation plan to reopen, skepticism towards the long-term safety of these initiatives continues to grow. Although many in the U.S. approach these coming changes with forethought and understanding, several individuals throw caution to the wind and believe the virus is no longer a "serious issue." Be that as it may, public institutions like libraries are planning for their reopening, yet the nature of "going to the library" may be forever changed.

In a piece written by The New York Times writer Elizabeth A. Harris, she discusses how libraries across the U.S. are planning to provide modified services to the community. These public institutions foster a safe space to learn, sit, and participate in community-led activities for children, adults, and seniors alike. However, as safety precautions and social distancing initiatives increase demands on these "community living rooms," as Harris puts, they may change forever.

"Libraries around the country are...

William Pereira-designed Hunt Branch Library in Orange County to be renovated

2020-06-10T12:17:00-04:00

The William Pereira-design Hunt Branch Library in Fullerton, California has received funds for a new renovation. Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silvia issued a $2.5 million budget request in 2019 which has since been approved and allocated to the City of Fullerton to be utilized in the renovation of the historic library.

The Hunt Branch Library was designated a local landmark by the Fullerton City Council back in November 2018, writes Save The Hunt Library, a group of Fullerton citizens who have been advocating for the preservation of the building.

"I am very proud to have worked with the state to secure $2.5 million for a future renovated Hunt Branch Library," said Assemblywoman Quirk-Silvia in a statement. "As a classroom teacher, and former City Council Member, I have always prioritized community spaces, literacy, and the arts."

The renovation project comes as several of Pereira's other notable works, including the original Los Angeles County Museum of Art campus and an extension to T...

Studio Link-Arc designs a brick-wrapped library in China

2020-06-03T18:40:00-04:00

Located on the campus of China Resources University, a private educational institution in Shenzhen, the design of Studio Link-Arc's China Resources Archive Library is composed of a dual program. At 9,000 square meters, the building's function serves as an archive for the university and holds all of their physical and digital records in a climate-controlled vault.

Above the archive are a series of gallery spaces that serve the adjacent campus and bring a civic and cultural dimension to the program. The Archive Library's design responds to two distinct site conditions. Firstly, the project sits on a hillside that boasts expansive views of Trail Bay and the surrounding landscape. Second, the China Resources Campus to the south informs the Library's design.

At the eastern hillside, the project responds with a terraced design, integrating the project into the topography, allowing for a series of exterior public ramps that connect the residential neighborhood at the foot of the hill to th...