libraries booklet
DESCRIPTION
Perkins+Will has a collection of libraries that span across contexts and the globe.TRANSCRIPT
lIbRARIES
+ Whitby Public Library and Civic Square, Whitby, Ontario
www.perkinswill.com
COnTEnTS
01. ABOUT PERKINS+WILL
02. COMMUNAL KNOWLEDGE
03. THE LIBRARY AND THE CITY
04. THE ACADEMIC LEARNING CENTER
05. LIBRARIES GO TO SCHOOL
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AREAS OF PRACTICE
Aviation + Transit
Corporate + Commercial + Civic
Healthcare
Higher Education
K-12 Education
Science + Technology
Sports + Recreation
lOCATIOnS
Atlanta
Boston
Charlotte
Chicago
Dallas
Dubai
Hartford
Houston
London
Los Angeles
Miami
Minneapolis
New York
Orlando
Philadelphia
RTP
San Diego
San Francisco
www.perkinswill.com
DISCIPlInES
Architecture
Interiors
Branded Environments
Planning + Strategies
Preservation + Reuse
Urban Design
Seattle
Shanghai
Toronto
Vancouver
Washington, DC
+ Left: Sammamish Library King County Library System, Sammamish, Washington / Right: Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre, University of Toronto, Mississauga Campus, Mississauga, Ontario
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About Perkins+WillSince 1935, Perkins+Will has collaborated with globally recognized clients to set worldwide standards for design innovation
and exceptional service. We are committed to trend-setting leadership in our aviation + transit, corporate + commercial + civic,
healthcare, higher education, K-12 education, science + technology and sports + recreation practices.
Sustainable, high-performance and environmentally conscious design is a cornerstone of our practice that informs every project.
It’s how we practice and how we live. Our people – some 1,500 – are enthusiasts. We have more LEED Accredited Professionals
than any design firm as ranked by Building Design+Construction magazine.
An international firm practicing regionally, Perkins+Will is always close to our clients. We hold a common philosophy and
standard of excellence; our firm shares expertise across twenty-three offices globally. This inclusive strategy focuses us on our
clients, our communities, and our vision, which is as compelling today as it was at the firm’s inception: to craft ideas + buildings that honor the broader goals of society.
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TORONTO
PHILADELPHIA
ATLANTA
BOSTON
CHARLOTTE
CHICAGO
DALLAS
HARTFORD
HOUSTON
INTERNATIONAL
LONDON
MIAMI
ORLANDO
MINNEAPOLIS
NEW YORK
RTP
SAN FRANCISCO
SAN DIEGO
LOS ANGELES
SEATTLE
VANCOUVER
SHANGHAI
DUBAI
WASHINGTON, DC
+ lEADERShIP
www.perkinswill.com
TORONTO
PHILADELPHIA
ATLANTA
BOSTON
CHARLOTTE
CHICAGO
DALLAS
HARTFORD
HOUSTON
INTERNATIONAL
LONDON
MIAMI
ORLANDO
MINNEAPOLIS
NEW YORK
RTP
SAN FRANCISCO
SAN DIEGO
LOS ANGELES
SEATTLE
VANCOUVER
SHANGHAI
DUBAI
WASHINGTON, DC
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EIlEEn jOnES
branded Environments Global leader - u.S.
(312) 755.4550
AnDREW FROnTInI
Design Director - Toronto
+1 (416) 217.6535
STEvE TuRCkESk-12 Education Global leader - u.S.
(312) 755.4570
kEn ROhlFInGAssociate Principal - Chicago
(312) 755.4505
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www.perkinswill.com
+ Whitby Public Library and Civic Square, Whitby, Ontario
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library Design: Our Evolving PracticeThe notion of the library as a place where humanity’s collected knowledge is stored, protected and categorized is universal and spans millennia. It is only since late nineteenth century and in particular through the vision of Andrew Carnegie, that the contents of the library have been opened to the broad spectrum of society. This “democratization of knowledge” is not quite a century old and yet it forms a seemingly incontestable pillar of our society. We have seen the library transform from a protective sanctum to an open space for the nurturing of public knowledge and intelligence, but the most radical and rapid transformation of the library is upon us now.
What does the word library mean when knowledge and information are no longer tied to physical objects? When the storage and ordering of information occurs outside of physical space, what does the space of the library become? These and many related questions are the daily ponderence of library professionals and library designers.
At Perkins+Will, we have a broad exposure to a vast collection of ideas regarding the future of libraries. These ideas come from our clients – library professionals working in community libraries, in academic libraries at universities and colleges and in libraries within the k-12 school system. We also fuel our library design practice through independent research that sounds the technological, cultural and technical issues affecting library design today. We marry our broad experience to a progressive interdisciplinary design practice which sees the space of the library and its systems as a holistic entity. At Perkins+Will, the disciplines of Architecture, Interior Design and branded Environments are applied simultaneously in the creation of library spaces that are at the forefront of sustainability, inspiring communities of knowledge and growth.
+ Brooklin Library and Community Centre Brooklin, Ontario
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www.perkinswill.com
COMMunITyCOMMunITyCOMMunITy
+ Brooklin Library and Community Centre, Brooklin, Ontario
Communal knowledgeAs children, many of us recall a sense of wonder at the seemingly boundless trove of knowledge offered by our local library. These libraries promised “knowledge within reach for every chapter of life”.
knowledge and entertainment can now be enjoyed at any time and in any place through the proliferation of digital media. In order to ensure their continuing relevance, libraries have positioned themselves at the forefront of technological advancement with programs that educate and inspire patrons of all ages. Music, art, gaming, software training, and business and financial training are all found at the library. The still, lofty room of books and magazines has transformed into a collection of dynamic, technologically driven environments. Good design allows these environments to function, coexist and to transform over time.
Good architecture has become the calling card of library systems. While it may be true that information can be retrieved anywhere, learning in a great space, amongst your fellow citizens remains an attractive proposition for many people.
Imagine a place that feels like home from which you can discover the entire world. Despite the global aspect of our culture, we believe that architecture should be rooted in its place. Community libraries provide the opportunity to reflect a local condition through building form, materiality, and response to site and climate.
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www.perkinswill.com
Completion Date 2008
Area 13,000 SF
A remnant forest in the historic village of Brooklin, Ontario provides the setting and inspiration for this district Library and Community
Center. Each of the key program areas are housed in one of three linked structures whose roof lines and simple forms recall the region’s
agrarian roots. A sophisticated approach to structural articulation, detailing and materiality transforms a regional inspiration into a
sharply articulated response to contemporary design issues. Porches, breezeways and glazed links provide the common space and allow
the three shed volumes to frame courtyards and views into the surrounding hardwood forest. The preservation of specimen hardwoods
was critical to the placement of the building footprint and the resulting micro climates are an integral part of the building’s sustainable
strategy. The Library component brings new collections, lounge and study space to the growing community. The library is suffused with
natural light tempered by the forest and the material qualities of wood and stone. The north end of the library looks onto a woodland
reading court while its south façade has a presence on the main street taking its place among the village’s key civic structures.
bROOklIn lIbRARy AnD COMMunITy CEnTRE brookLin, ontario
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www.perkinswill.com
Completion Date 2013
Area 15,000 SF
Conceived as a pavilion at the front of a large multi-use complex, the Meadows branch library is didactic about its sustainable agenda
while framing and programming a set of new civic spaces on the site. The library roof is articulated as a folded plane that, opening like a
book, reveals an intensive green roof. The roof angles to an architectural scupper which boldly describes the movement of water from the
building’s roof to its landscaped areas and grey-water cisterns. Internally, the library is organized beneath the angled beams of the heavy
timbre roof that create changes in scale from grand at the main entry and fire place lounge to more intimate at the children’s area and
south reading garden. A series of foils operate beneath the singular gesture of the roof to define particular program areas. The staff and
materials handling areas are located behind a curving timbre acoustic screen. The teen’s lounge is defined by a circular pod of shelving.
Internet stations and study tables are nestled into a series of polychrome saw-tooth bay windows. Each of these micro environments
caters to a particular user and set of activities while integrating into an easily served and supervised whole.
EDMOnTOn PublIC lIbRARyedmonton, aLberta
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Completion Date 2003
Area 104,000 SF
Awards
American Corporate Identity Awards,Identity/Logo Design Award, 2005Chicago Building Council, Merit Award, 2004American Society of Interior Designers, Corporate Office over 30,000 SF Award, 2004
*In collaboration with Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay Penney
Perkins+Will Branded Environments developed a new public library for Oak
Park, a reinvigorated educational and civic meeting center adjacent to the
city’s central park space and across from Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unity Temple.
The interior design, finishes, environmental graphics, wayfinding and new
identity system are based on a series of experiences to “open the door to
a community at home in the world of learning.” Inspirational concepts of
“discover, connect and participate” are integrated throughout the facility.
OAk PARk PublIC lIbRARyoak Park, iLLinois
www.perkinswill.com
Completion Date 2004
Area 21,300 SF
*In association with Reich + Petch Architects
The Town of Grimsby elected to build a new cultural complex on the site of the existing
library and art gallery while keeping both the existing library and the art gallery open during
construction. The design solution sets the abstract masonry prism of a new art gallery at the
street as a foil to the original Carnegie library. Together these architectural figures frame a
sculpture garden and entry court which draws visitors into the long narrow site. A central lobby
with meeting rooms, washrooms and a gallery shop is shared by both the gallery and the library.
GRIMSby PublIC lIbRARy AnD ART GAllERygrimsby, ontario
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Completion Date May 2009
Area 15,000 SF
Turner Park Branch Library shares a common entry and interior streetscape
with a YMCA complex. The library creates a unique architectural expression
through materiality and the articulation of key programmatic areas. The Turner
park branch is designed to serve a broad demographic with particular attention
given to youth and teens for which a discreet lounge and program area have
been developed. This area accommodates innovative programming such as
video production, gaming and DJ 101.
TuRnER PARk bRAnCh lIbRARy hamiLton, ontario
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+ Whitby Public Library and Civic Square Whitby, Ontario
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www.perkinswill.com
CIvIC
+ Whitby Public Library and Civic Square Whitby, Ontario
Civic TransformationThe central library occupies an important place in the collective imagination of a city or town. As a symbol of knowledge and culture, a library also forms an important center of gravity in the urban fabric. When faced with the challenge of creating a new central library, we view the library as an urban catalyst and look to its transformative potential. Today’s large urban libraries house a complex range of program elements that cater to the social, educational and cultural needs of a broad demographic. These program elements have the potential to animate the surrounding urban context and create a vibrant public realm. We use libraries to frame urban space and to focus the theater of urban life.
While a branch library may seek to reflect a specific community, the central library is civic in scale and captures the complexity and diversity of the city. An urban central library can offer a multitude of distinct destinations within a strong armature that orders the collection and facilitates navigation through it. The library operates as a sequence of public rooms, each at the scale of the city, where information, art, culture and technology are freely disseminated. Dynamic, highly adaptable and robust in its infrastructure, the modern library must be conceived as integral to the city and as one of its primary public spaces.
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Completion Date 2005
Area 56,000 SF
Awards
Ontario Library Association, Award of Excellence, 2007National Post Design Exchange Honorable Mention, Commercial Architecture, 2006ARIDO Public & Institutional Spaces, Award of Merit, 2006
The primary design objective for this library is the creation of a dynamic
relationship between the interior public space and a new civic square. A three
storey library hall opens onto the square, which is animated by the concentration
of vertical circulation, information commons, and displays, visible through
the expansive glass. From the square, landscape elements bring natural light
and color deep into the building. The lower wing of the building brings the
municipal archives, meeting rooms and a café to the streetscape.
WhITby PublIC lIbRARy AnD CIvIC SquAREwhitby, ontario
www.perkinswill.com
Completion Date 2010
Area 20,000 SF
Awards
AIA Washington Civic Design Citation Award, 2010
The Sammamish library overlooks the south edge of the city’s new civic plaza
with large expanses of glazing and active programmatic elements. The central
reading space leads to a reading room where a fireplace provides an internal
focus, balancing the views to the west. The children’s area overlooks the
eastern lawn which includes a reflexology path, native plantings, and a grove
of birch trees It is topped with a green roof planted with a geometric pattern of
native sedums—visually tying it to the horizontal landscape planes of the site.
SAMMAMISh lIbRARy king county Library system, sammamish, washington
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Completion Date December 2004
Area 175,000 SF
AwardsOntario Public Works Association, Project of the year, 2006Ontario Association of Architects: Good Design is Good Business Award, 2006Canadian Wood Council: Wood WORKS! Award, Wood Design Large Institution, 2006Markham Design Excellence Award, Building of Distinction, 2006National Post Design Exchange: Silver Award for Architecture - Commercial Category, 2005
The Angus Glen Library forms part of a multi-use complex in Markham, Ontario. At 35,000 sf, this district library is one of the largest in the municipality’s system and features one of the largest Asian language collections in the Greater Toronto Area. The library opens onto the internal street of the complex, with mobile display furniture and large sliding glass doors providing an inviting threshold. Immediately within the library, patrons are greeted by the primary browsing area offering the most popular items in a comfortable lounge setting. The browsing area and study zone are located on the ground floor beneath a soaring atrium where a bold concrete structure supports saw tooth skylights framed in heavy timber. This rich materiality and structural expression are present throughout the library and tie it into the larger complex.
AnGuS GlEn COMMunITy CEnTRE AnD lIbRARy markham, ontario
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Completion Date 2011
Area 42,000 SF
The design for the new Orillia Market Square and Library seeks to create a suite of urban public spaces that engage Orillia’s 19th Century Opera House and support the City’s vibrant farmer’s market. The building takes the form of a two storey, L-shape that creates coherence within the surrounding urban fabric while framing and setting off the monumental form of the Opera House. The 42,000 sq.ft. structure will combine two floors of collection and support space with community meeting rooms an information Orillia outlet and a Market Hall that will house a smaller farmer’s market in the winter months. The building is targeting LEED Gold certification.
ORIllIA MARkET SquARE AnD lIbRARyoriLLia, ontario
+ E.J. Pratt Library, Victoria College University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario
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www.perkinswill.com
A CADEMIC A CADEMIC A CADEMIC
+ Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre, University of Toronto - Mississauga Campus, Mississauga, Ontario
The Academic learning CenterAcademic libraries form the heart of a campus – a point of universal convergence where collaborative work and study continue around the clock. These buildings are becoming highly adaptable learning environments where information is retrieved and ideas are developed through digital media. The notion of a physical “collection” is being re-thought and the prioritization of space now favors students engaged in active learning. The planning of academic libraries must accommodate and support widely varying patterns of use from the conventions of solitary, quiet study to the pedagogically driven need for active group study and project areas.
There is an increased emphasis on the quality of study space. The near constant interface with technology must be offset with architecture that supports the body. The qualities of light and sound, the presence of color and materiality and the careful consideration of scale and proportion can combine to promote the stamina and general well being that inspire learning.
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Completion Date August 2001
Area 50,000 SF
Awards
Ontario Library Association Award for Best Renovation of an Academic Library, 2003
* In association with Kohn Shnier Architects
Originally designed by Gordon Adamson, the award-winning Victoria College
Library building was opened in 1960. The renovation project focused on
several primary objectives: replacement of all mechanical and electrical
systems; reconfiguring space to accommodate a range of study, research and
staff requirements; increased storage facilities for print and special collections;
“smart” classroom facilities for teaching and learning, and the infrastructure
to accommodate changing and evolving information technology needs.
E.j. PRATT lIbRARy, vICTORIA COllEGE
university of toronto, toronto, ontario
www.perkinswill.com
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Completion Date 2006
Area 98,000 SF
Awards
Ontario Library Association, Award of Excellence, 2010Ontario Association of Architects, Award of Excellence, 2008American Library Association & IIDA, Sustainability Award, 2008Mississauga Urban Design Awards, Award of Excellence, 2007
Inspired by the intricate assembly of Japanese puzzle boxes, the architecture of the Hazel McCallion Academic
Learning Centre provides a metaphor for the active pursuit of knowledge in the information age. The 100,000
SF SF. library brings an innovative spatial model for collaborative study and information retrieval to the
University of Toronto’s Mississauga campus. With all of its bound volumes located in self serve compact
shelving at the centre of each floor plate, the University’s first LEED Silver structure offers broad range of
highly flexible space for digital work and study at the building perimeter. Here, abundant natural light and
sweeping views of the verdant campus create an uplifting learning environment for the campus of 12,000
students. The building integrates seamlessly into the campus master plan framing a series of sustainable
landscape courts, a roof garden and an entry plaza at the North end of the Campus.
hAzEl McCAllIOn ACADEMIC lEARnInG CEnTRE
university of toronto - mississauga camPus, mississauga, ontario
+ Perspectives Charter School Chicago, Illinois
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+ St. Alcuin Montessori School, Dallas, Texas
libraries Go To SchoolThe libraries of elementary and secondary schools are rapidly transforming to accommodate the diverse and digital needs of the students and community members they serve. As curricula evolve and communities collaborate, the library or media center is shifting to a space where the librarian’s call of “quiet!” is replaced with “create!” This evolution informs the shape and scope of school libraries today to foster interaction within and outside of the school, to accommodate digital lives, and to satisfy the need for third spaces amongst young adults and community members.
Opting to pool resources as opposed to compete for them, many schools today are developing libraries in partnership with the city or county library system and housing them on school property. This approach is a wise investment of community dollars and a mutually beneficial strategy for capital investment; Schools gain an increase in infrastructure, technical expertise, and engagement. While planners and designers enjoy the opportunity to create spaces that must safely incorporate both students and the public. Often isolated school libraries are also finding unique ways to foster interaction within the school in response to educational programs. Academy-based curricula benefit from distributed, flexible media environments that act as satellites from a primary media center. While project based curricula often benefit from a boarder of flexible space around the library that are able to serve library or classroom needs easily.
To keep abreast of the needs of the next generation of learners and creators, school libraries and community libraries are shifting to act as a “third space” for the teen to twenty crowd. Comfortable seating, sensitive furnishing, ample outlets, and even the presence of once forbidden food and drink, have many students choosing the library as a place to both work and socialize. These shifts are important as millennials increasingly blur the lines between work and play. In addition to study rooms for writing research papers, many school libraries and community teen spaces multimedia studios for creating documentaries, producing music, and building websites.
library spaces for young people are evolving to embrace a spirit of agility in order to serve their dynamic and digital lifestyles.
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Completion Date 2004
Area 30,000 SF
AwardsAIA, Distinguished Building Award, Chicago Chapter, 2005CEFPI Exhibition of School Architecture, Honorable Mention, 2005AASA Exhibition of School Architecture, Citation, 2006Stein, Ray & Harris Patron of the Year, Chicago Architecture Foundation, 2005Richard H. Driehaus Foundation Award, 2005NSBA Exhibition of School Architecture, Citation, 2006AIA, Interior Architecture Award, Chicago Chapter, 2006AIA Illinois Mies Van Der Rohe Award, Special Recognition, 2006
The founders of the Perspectives Charter School coined the motto
“A Disciplined Life” to communicate their mission for an ideal school
environment. Perkins+Will’s design of their new facility integrates the
philosophy of the disciplined life with a program-specific design response
resulting in an unconventional school design. The design operates in a cohesive
range of scales from how and where the building is sited to the fine detail of the
interior signage. All of these elements come together for the expressed purpose
of advancing the school’s educational mission beyond standard expectations.
PERSPECTIvES ChARTER SChOOl
chicago, iLLinois
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Completion Date 2009
Area 35,000 SF
St. Alcuin Montessori School is designed for present day and future growth.
The design includes classrooms, administrative spaces, an upper schoool
media / technology center, art and music studios, a student cooking center
along with outdoor learning gardens and a design center. The middle school is
situated at the back of the site becoming a backdrop to the new soccer field.
Innovative ideas and unique design elements were implemented, enabling the
building to become a learning tool.
ST. AlCuIn MOnTESSORI SChOOl
daLLas, texas
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Completion Date July 2010
Area 375,000 SF
Cedar Ridge High School expresses a progressive educational program while
reflecting a modern interpretation to the regional vernacular architecture.
Outdoor courtyards are the heart of the campus providing a secure, flexible
space for circulation, break-out learning, and other multipurpose functions.
Each zone contains individual media centers, administration suites and teacher
areas. Each academic specific media center encourages student learning,
student to student, and student to teacher interaction outside of the classroom.
CEDAR RIDGE hIGh SChOOl
round rock, texas
+ Front: Hazel McCallion Academic Learning Centre University of Toronto–Mississauga, Ontario / Back: Whitby Public Library and Civic Square, Whitby, Ontario
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