Phones and technology, creating a place, encouraging people to engage in conversation and

activity.

Case Studies

International

1. National Library of Singapore, Singapore

2. Slover Library, USA

Location: Virginia, United States

Year: 2014

Architect: Newman Architects, Tymoff + Moss

Total Floor Area: 138,000 square feet

Floors:

The new Slover Library is a restoration of the 115-year-old Seaboard building (formerly a

customs house before becoming home to Norfolk’s main library in 2009), a new seven-

story glass walled addition, and a renovation of an adjacent commercial building, the
Selden Arcade. The Seaboard’s interior cortile, a central court surrounded by an arcade and

a ring of enclosed rooms, is mirrored in the design of the glass addition. The western wall

of the Seaboard has been opened to the new space, making its interior accessible to library

patrons, while remaining visually connected to the outdoors through the new addition.

Natural light weaves through the material of the new building to unite an interior public

realm with the outdoor public realm of the city. The new Slover Library embodies the

principal roles of today’s library: as a storehouse for the region’s history and artifacts, as a

portal to digital access, and as a community gathering place.

Slover Library reflects a relationship between the old and new: the solidity of the restored

masonry Seaboard and a transparent and inviting addition. The spaces are structured to link

to each other through the Forum, a three-story atrium at its center. Visitors can see the

library contents upon entering the building and elect to explore the collection and engage

in the programs. The library is a series of spaces and activities displayed off this central

space. A hub for exchange and interchange, Slover Library is a town in miniature, with the

Forum serving as its town square.

 https://inhabitat.com/newman-architects-slover-library-blends-old-and-new-in-historic-

renovation/slover-library-interior-angle

https://www.architectmagazine.com/design/newman-architects-designs-virginia-library-

to-be-a-downtown-anchor_o

3. Seikei University Library,

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Year: 2006

Architect: Shigeru Ban Architects, Mitsubishi Jisho Seikkei Architectural Firm

Total Floor Area: 11,955m2

Floors: 2 basement, 5 above ground, 1 penthouse

A traditional library is defined as a quiet place for study, yet the new Seikei University

Library defines a new idea that embraces all forms of communication and information

exchange. The sole purpose was to create a new type of library where speaking was not

prohibited. In a traditional library, students come in to find books that they’re looking for,

and then they proceed to read or work quietly. Seikei University wanted to reinvent their

library into a space where students have discussions and exchange opinions about their

books.

It can sometimes be difficult to find absolute silence in a library if a noisy student or two

decide to be chatty. The large glazed transparent atrium located in the center of the building

accommodates several free standing pods. These “planets” are ingeniously designed

isolation spheres are modernly designed elevated rooms that can be used for meetings or

for group work. These pods wanted to encourage students to discuss and debate what they

learn with each other, fostering an environment for conservation, development and growth.

Inside, there are chairs, conference desks, monitors and white boards. The focus of creating
 a space for speaking within a space for studying allows people to develop ideas without

disturbing others.

“showing that no space has a singular purpose”

https://www.world-architects.com/en/shigeru-ban-architects-tokyo/project/seikei-

university-library

http://thebridge.jp/en/2013/03/seikei-university-library

https://soranews24.com/2016/02/23/university-library-in-tokyo-may-be-worlds-coolest-

with-its-mid-air-like-meeting-rooms-【pics】/

4. Seattle Central Library

Location: Seattle, WA, United States

Year: 2004

Architect: Office of Metropolitan Architecture (OMA) – Rem Koolhaas

Total Floor Area: 38,300 sqm Floors:

The Seattle Central Library redefines the library as an institution no longer exclusively

dedicated to the book, but as an information store where all potent forms of media—new

and old—are presented equally and legibly. In an age where information can be accessed

anywhere, it is the simultaneity of all media and, more importantly, the curatorship of their

content that will make the library vital.

Flexibility in contemporary libraries is conceived as the creation of generic floors on which

almost any activity can occur. Programs are not separated, rooms or individual spaces not

given unique characters. In practice, this means that book cases define generous reading

areas on opening day, but, through the collection’s relentless expansion, inevitably come

to encroach on the public space. Ultimately, in this form of flexibility, the library strangles

the very attractions that differentiate it from other information resources.

Instead of its current ambiguous flexibility, the library could cultivate a more refined

approach by organizing itself into spatial compartments, each dedicated to, and equipped

for, specific duties. Tailored flexibility remains possible within each compartment, but

without the threat of one section hindering the others.

The library consolidated spaces with programmatic clusters: five of stability and four of

instability. Each platform is a programmatic cluster that is architecturally defined and

equipped for maximum, dedicated performance. Because each platform is designed for a

unique purpose, their size, flexibility, circulation, palette, and structure may vary.
The spaces in between the platforms function as trading floors where librarians inform and

stimulate, where the interface between the different platforms is organized – spaces for

work, interaction and play.

The problem of traditional library organization is flatness. Departments are organized

according to floor plans. Each floor is discreet, fits of growth and contraction are contained

within a single floor.

 As collections unpredictably swell, materials are dissociated from their categories. Excess

materials are put in the basement, moved to off-site storage, or become squatters of another,

totally unrelated department. The Book Spiral implies a reclamation of the much-

compromised Dewey Decimal System. By arranging the collection in a continuous

ribbon—running from 000 to 999—the subjects form a coexistence that approaches the

organic; each evolves relative to the others, occupying more or less space on the ribbon,

but never forcing a rupture.

https://www.archdaily.com/11651/seattle-central-library-oma-lmn

5. Gifu Media Cosmos, Japan

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Year: 2015

Architect: Toyo Ito & Associates, Architects

Sustainability Consultant: Arup

Furniture: Fujie Kazuko Atelier

Total Floor Area: 15,200 sqm

Floors: 2 floors

A community centre and library, the Minna no Mori Media Cosmos is a creation of Toyo

Ito, renowned architect and creative genius. Meaning 'Everyone's Forest', the design

reflects the surrounding landscape and was built to create a natural space for the

community, taking inspiration from nearby Mount Kinka and using natural resources like

Japanese cypress. It is a place where local residents could gather, forge friendships, study,

work and learn.

Gifu Media Cosmos is a large, open plan space supported on occasional columns.

Movement is free and uncluttered, with multiple entry points and circulation routes. The

space features a wave-like wooden-latticed ceiling, with hanging domes which filter light
into the different "knowledge hubs" they hover above. Cleverly, these overhead domes

create the quality and intimacy of separate rooms, without needing to rely on walls or

horizontal spaces.

At the heart of the first floor, a glazed enclosure houses book shelves and a gallery, while

on the upper storey, visitors encounter an open-plan library organized through a series of

spiraling wooden units. The fluid theme of the space is continued with seating areas and

bookshelves, with no fixed spaces or square partitions — creating an open and explorable

space for all who enter. The arrangement of furniture is also placed in circular formations,

further emphasizing the helical nature of the plan. Curved bookshelves and circular rugs

create soft edges and gentle spatial divides. This strategy makes the different parts of the

building feel distinctive and yet interconnected.

The curved globes are made from tri-axially woven polyester shades, which has been

stiffened into shape using horizontal rodes, that allow light to filter down into the spaces

below. Shaped like hanging lampshades, the curved globes feature different geometrical

designs inspired by their function and float above workstations in different sections -

defining reading, resting and study zones while also acting as reference points on maps and

filtering hot air out from the workspace. Across the space, these globes also perform several

functions. They disperse a gentle, even light throughout the space and, when opened at the

top, emit hot air from the building. They also act as way-finding devices, as each individual

lantern is patterned to match its function. The globes’ geometry forms a ‘bell-mouth’ which

enhances air flow inside the building. Non-dazzling daylight is filtered through the

polyester globes, bringing in natural light whilst ensuring an optimal reading environment.

Experiments showed that this passive design would reduce the building’s energy

consumption by 40%.
Japan has a long history of creative timber craftsmanship, and Gifu Media Cosmos

continues in this tradition. The entire structure is a remarkable piece of engineering and

craft. The roof is comprised of 120mm x 20mm pieces of Japanese cypress, which were

overlapped on site to give the surface its structural integrity.

https://www.designboom.com/architecture/toyo-ito-gifu-city-library-minna-no-mori-

media-cosmos-06-17-2015/gallery/image/toyo-ito-gifu-city-library-minna-no-mori-

media-cosmos-designboom-7/

https://arcspace.com/feature/gifu-media-cosmos/
 6. Liyuan Library, Beijing

7. Library of Birmingham, UK

Local

1. UST Benavidez Library