Biblioteca De Julian Street
BIBLIOTECA DE JULIAN STREET
Joel Sanders
ARCHITECTS
Joel Sander Architects
PHOTOGRAPHS
Peter Aaron
MANUFACUTURERS
Benjamin Moore, dormakaba, Gordon International, Herman Miller, Lindner Group, Lutron, Okalux, Selux, USAI, Walter Knoll, Koroseal, Rajack, Beckenstein Fabrics, Eaton's Lighting Division, Epic Millwork, Avanti Door Group, Best
AREA
3100.0 ft2
YEAR
2012
LOCATION
Princeton, United States
CATEGORY
Library
Spanish Text description provided by architect.
The Julian Street Library has recently been renovated in a modernist building at Princeton University. The restoration transforms a 3,100-square-foot reading room into a state-of-the-art multimedia learning environment.
Located between a residential college and the main campus center, the library acts as a hub for college students heading to central campus.
Recognizing that with the advent of digital technologies, libraries are multipurpose spaces that sponsor study and social interaction, our design recognizes this space as a connected environment where students can work, rest and socialize day and night.
Our solution solves the dual challenge of improving circulation between the lobby and campus, as well as between the lobby and library, by allowing them to overlap.
We removed an existing brick wall and, taking inspiration from the Laurentian Library in Florence, brought the library to the lobby via a dynamic ramp that flows into this previously underused space.
No longer simply a threshold, the lobby is now a space where students study, relax and socialize. A series of terraced benches activate the lobby and provide access to a community library table and computer terminals located at the summit.
The ramp then takes students to the main library, which is divided into two activity zones differentiated by color and materials.
Traditionally conceived as single-purpose spaces intended solely for studying, libraries are now multipurpose spaces that support study and socialization. As a consequence, our project divides the library into two overlapping activity zones differentiated by color and materials.
For one, maple acoustic panels cover the floor, walls and ceiling of the quiet study area where students work upright at communal tables and built-in computer stations.
On the other hand, teal upholstered banquettes define the adjacent informal study room. Students can easily switch between both zones as their needs change throughout the day, allowing them to work individually or collaboratively in a 24/7 wired environment.
As students move from reading a book to working on their laptop, study postures change, requiring different levels of focus, lengths of time, and degrees of engagement with other students.
Our design offers several options (stools, tables and workstations), allowing people to easily move from relaxed, passive postures (while reading or viewing new material) to more alert postures (while actively processing material and producing original work).
Teal bookcases carved into the walls display Julian Street's original collection of books donated to Princeton University in 1962. Built within these bookshelves, birch-lined cabinets house computers and music recording equipment for students to use. students have access to old and new media while they work.
A community electronic media table provides an interactive forum where Wilson College students can exchange information with other students working in the lobby and library, as well as at remote locations on campus.
Hidden within the ceiling, a projector displays an interactive image on the board below where students can post events on a community bulletin board, search the original Julian Street book collection, and engage on social media. Movable furniture and sliding panels allow the space to be easily reconfigured to accommodate various events, from studying to dining and entertaining.
