| After 10 years of planning, two of Virginia’s most prominent public institutions–one of its largest community colleges and most populous city–have brought into fruition the state’s first large-scale joint-use library. The new joint-use library successfully supports the long-term strategic partnership by reconciling the unique mission of each institution into a shared vision of a truly integrated library, where any patron, whether college student, faculty member, or citizen of any age would encounter seamless, quality library services that meet their specific demands. Representing the best of both worlds–the joint-use library combines the research capacity, advanced pedagogy support, and smart study rooms of academic libraries with extensive popular collections and intimate community-oriented destinations of public libraries.
Inspired by the complex combined program, 360-degree foreground building profile and high-efficiency performance requirements, the design team devised a solution that incorporates a long thin building footprint–125,000 sf spread over 2 stories and the length of a football field– with distinctive façades that express dramatic shifts in material, form and purpose. Key to the design concept is the library’s connection between the organic forms of nature and vibrancy of a village. The building’s design responds to its site which bears unique hallmarks of its agrarian past- linear drainage ditches that left a system of hedgerows. The intent is to preserve the land’s natural qualities by integrating building massing with hedgerows. The building mimics the hedgerow figuration with linear bands running through the space. Between hedgerows, glass “crystals” extend outward in alternating patterns forming a stepped-façade that allows north light in and creates outdoor contemplation gardens.
Conceptualized as an abstracted “village-of-learning,” the series of glass crystals are connected on the building’s opposite side by a 400’-long “Main Street,” a curvilinear circulation spine featuring high ceiling volumes, strong vertical connections and floor-openings to enhance wayfinding. Upon entry to the building, visitors enter Main Street where they can access all programmatic areas of the building. This two-story space provides visual awareness of desired destinations in the building while providing staff the ability to visually supervise the space.
Running the length of Main Street is a clerestory “light reflector.” Its V-shaped design, in combination with multiple floor openings, thin building profile and curved wall that reflects light, limits the need for artificial lighting. The “Environmental-Shield”–an arced wall made of brick and metal–protects Main Street’s south-side from sun exposure while representing the library’s public face for a vehicular viewership. To establish visual interface with the street, a series of cantilevered spaces pop-out of the Environmental-Shield, revealing activity within.
In addition to maximizing daylighting/views, the long, thin building serves to separate noisy activities from quiet study areas. The interior character graduates from active/noisy along Main Street to cerebral/quiet near the north.A similar progression runs west-to-east and lower-level to upper-level.
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