J. Burton Vasché Library

A renewal of a 1960's university library to meet 21st century needs

Objectives

This project encompassed a number of grand goals:

To transform this 130,000 sqft university library from a confusing warren of narrow corridors into an appealing and navigable open plan;
Create a one-stop destination for student academic success;
While revealing and celebrating the 1960’s brutalist architecture.

At the other end of the scale, the project required extensive, careful detailing so as to utilize existing j-box locations and minimize surface conduit on exposed concrete.

Lighting for Libraries

Libraries are programmatically complex, in this case incorporating group collaboration spaces, individual quiet study, student support services, a computer lab, café, staff offices, and 675,000 books.

In response, we tried to keep the lighting elements simple. In the grand corridors, continuous linears flanking the sides create a simple wayfinding device. Multiple downlights along the center consolidate fixture locations to keep the ceiling plane pure.

Gradient Glass Effect

At the second story ceiling, a cove and direct-view linear dramatically uplight the geometric clerestories.

We looked at a lot of different options for how to treat this double-height atrium, but in the end decided on a really simple device of a backlit gradient glass to connect the floors.

When you get a detail like this right it looks effortless, but you really have to sweat the details to make that happen – Photometric modeling, collaborating on details and mockups to verify that it’s really going to work the way you want it to.

The problem with uplighting coffers

Linear uplighting parallel to structural coffers causes distracting, unattractive shadow patterns. Our design used diagonals and squares to provide an even fill.

A benefit of all this careful uplight treatment is a glassy, contemporary feel for this 60-year-old structure.

A personal note

This was a bit of a passion project for me. I think Brutalism is architecture at its best: a bold, experimental response to an urgent societal need. But, these buildings can also be very hard to adapt to changing needs of the occupants over time.

I was thrilled to have the opportunity to take on that challenge of adaptation. The building undeniably has nice bones – the thin modernist roof complemented by the open-ness of the moment frame structure. Every project has a unique problem to solve. In this case, how do we express the bold, simple architectural gesture in light?